You’ll most likely get very, very close to breaking even: Sheri. People are often surprised. The coffee on RC isn’t good, so my husband and I get speciality coffees at the Windjammer (buffet - there’s a place for Americanos, Lattes, etc,) in the MDR or the Royal Promenade at Cafe Promenade. Also a tip that a bar staff gave us on Day 1 was every time we were getting ready to head to our room, pop by a bar and grab some bottled water to start “stockpiling” for our stateroom. Also, now you can try tons of different cocktails. Don’t like one? No problem! They are all paid for! LOL! Also, you can give your soda cup that works with the Coke Freestyle machines to Junior Editor and it will be like he has the classic soda package. There are machines at the Windjammer, Royal Promenade and near the sports deck. We swear by the beverage package and always pre purchase to take advantage of the discount (like the BOGO) prior to sailing (our Harmony sailing was ($48pp/day+taxes and gratuities). Lastly, not many mixed drinks are over $12. Glasses of wine, yes. However, you just pay the difference (If the glass of wine is $17 you’d be charged $5 plus tax and gratuities on the $5). I can generally find a decent glass of wine around the $12 price point to go with dinner though. Hope this helps, you’re going to have a BLAST!!!
I wish I could go on a cruise but the drink package really is too much money for me to handle. My friend wanted to take me on a cruise and when i showed him the cost of the drink package he was like me in saying it just costs too much to take a trip.
My Party of 5 how far in advance did you purchase your package? My Harmony of the seas package is $61 per day per person on the BOGO sale right now and my sailing is late March/early April! Thanks!
@@TomGeek1980 Hey Tom, Norwegian Cruise Line INCLUDES a beverage package on 99% of their cruises. They include it as a "perk" when you book a room. Best decision I ever made! Save money and get TONS of drinks. Hope that helps!
Magical Coffee Maker but NCL prices are higher to compensate the free stuff and we discovered the service and food were much better on RCCL so it’s buyer beware
Hi! My bf & I are currently sailing on Allure of the Seas. We have the ultimate drink package is 500% worth it for us. We dont cruise without it! We love ordering whatever we want, whenever we want with no worries!
We ended up buying less expensive alcoholic drinks on land, and my husband spent half of what he would have with that drink package which may also have been to him choosing not to keep drinking when he otherwise would. We brought two bottles of wine. We debated about it for a long time! It was our honeymoon in January but I’m also not much of a drinker. Turns out that was a good thing because our baby is arriving in a week or two!
Great video Sheri :) we bought a refreshment drink package on our P&O aus cruise last week :) it cost us $25 (AUD) per day each. Myself and my fiance got one and my mum got a soft drink package ($10 AUD per day) and we were all sharing a cabin. We were the same as u, we wasn't sure if we would even use our value each day that we paid for the package, but the convenience of just swipping our cruise cards for all of our drinks and not having to stress worrying if we had enough OBC to cover all of our drinks was fantastic :) makes the cruise so much more relaxing :) we did purchase a few cocktails though and just paid for it out of our OBC My poor elderly mum was so confused onboard, it actually broke my heart She kept asking when we went to dinner was the money coming out of her OBC and worried that she would run out of money. We had to keep telling her that all of the restaurants we went too the food was included in her cruise fare. But she just could not get her head around it that we were eating at lovely restaurants and she didn't have to pay anything for her meal. It was her first proper cruise. We do have one booked on royal Caribbean November next year, then anothet booked back on p&o aus in 2024, hopefully she will understand how it works a bit more by then :) although travelling on royal carribean will most likely confuse her again as we will have to pay for all of our drinks. The refreshment package for that cruise is $54 (AUD) per day and we def cannot drink that much each day, with it being a 3 night cruise and 1 of those days we are in Port. So as it'll be different to our p&o cruises i think she will again get really confused. Poor thing :(
You hit the nail on the head, Sheri, regarding the psychological aspect of investing in the package. Celebrity (of course a Royal Caribbean International subsidiary), offers beverage package tiers similar to RCCL and Shannon and I will in fact be upgrading our package to their Premium Package ahead of our 2021 sailing (at the time of booking we took advantage of a promo that Celebrity had going that included their Classic Beverage Package with an option to upgrade to Premium at an additional cost). Both of us are drinkers and while we may or may not be ordering enough drinks to fulfill the cost of the package, neither of us want to worry about a bar tab at the end of the sailing. Better to pay upfront than be surprised at the end of the cruise,
Also- The sales in the cruise planner change regularly. If something goes on sale for less than you purchased at you can cancel and repurchase at the lower rate. Same for dining or excursions booked via Royal. You can also apply OBC to purchases made before embarkation via the cruise planner.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I checked on my solo Costa cruise and the mid level drink package for my 21 day transatlantic worked out to less than $32 a day including service charge. It includes soda, coffees, beer, wine, and basic mid range liqueurs, and most cocktails. Premium brands are extra.
If you plan to drink alcohol often, get the deluxe drink package. If you’ll only drink one drink a day, don’t. For me, it was worth it. I drank with every meal and in between. Lol. Juice, water, basic coffee and stuff was all free at the Windjammer. This is a very useful video.
We ended up getting the deluxe drink package for our Alaska trip and I don’t regret it one bit. It was also on sale for the buy one get one 50% off and we took full advantage of it. While we do drink we also had coffee and water and fresh juice. It was nice not to have to think about what I was spending and we always found something within the dollar threshold. I highly recommended it especially if you can get a good deal.
Great video! My only tip to add is to be aware that the cruise lines charge double for double shot drinks. My brother ordered those and when we saw the bill, we were pretty floored by how much his drink purchases amounted to. For instance, if one shot was $8, his drink was $16! Keep that in mind and keep track of the type of drinks you’re ordering!
I just got off Harmony Of the Seas this past Sunday. We purchased two refreshment packages, one for each kid. It was well worth it, as my kids love mocktails, fancy coffees, bottled water, soda, etc. They were easily able to get these drinks for me and my husband as well. We aren't big alchoholic drinkers, so whatever we wanted we would just purchase. Worked out well.
In my experience it was worth it . If you average about four to five drinks plus a speciality coffee in morning and at dinner and then get a bottle of water each time you order drink it works out ! Plus you still will get the odd soda or juice here or there . Make sure to look for sales in your cruise planner to get the best price .
Your experience with the drink packages is exactly what we experienced. My wife does not drink alcoholic beverages. I too phoned RC and we received the exception as well. This worked perfectly for us and as you mentioned, there were no “surprises” on our statement at the end of the cruise. Excellent video!
I enjoyed the ability to try different cocktails and not feel badly if I didnt care for them. And as you mentioned it's really nice knowing there are no big surprises when you get off the ship, cost-wise! GREAT vlog as usual and a nice explanation for how you might be able to get around having to pay the premium drink package for everyone in cabin!
Thanks for the research efforts! I always go back & forth! We generally just order a bottle of Crown (usually around $100) to be delivered to the cabin on day 2 and it lasts us the week. But, we either have to drag our soda on board with us, or buy that on the ship which can get costly! Plus if we want one of the specialty cocktails, fresh juices, or coffee's it goes on our ship balance. This info will be helpful when planning our next cruise!
I purchased the refreshment package at 30% off for our Majesty of the Seas cruise last week, only one of us had to purchase it in our cabin. I enjoyed the non alcoholic drinks 🍹 with no additional charge or tipping. I had 4 virgin mojitos and virgin Bahama Mama drinks first day! Totally worth it ... I would cruise Royal Caribbean again mainly because they offer that option.
The best advice I ever got regarding drink packages because I really don't drink much and the amount that you would have to drink to break even is about 15 drinks a day instead.. take the money that you would spend on a drink package put it on your onboard credit card and charge against it at the end of the cruise you'll be surprised that you really didn't drink $800 worth of alcohol you only drank about $500 worth of alcohol and we'll leave with about $300 in pocket 😁😁
This is why I buy the drink package. I love being able to walk on board knowing that I have covered as many of my costs as possible. Plus I do tend to try new drinks knowing that I’m not spending extra money.
Great tips Sheri! We buy the drink package as well for our cruise. Royal always runs sales on the packages and so we buy it before we sail. It makes it easier not to worry about prices or bills on our vacation.
I like that you dont have to get the higher package for everyone. We did get it for our cruise on Carnival and they had it to where is the drink was $20 or $18 drink more you had to pay for it. There wasnt a lot that I saw more than that. Plue have fun on your cruise and drink one for everyone that wish they was there.
I only just found out this. "Will your travel insurance cover you if you have an accident under the influence of alcohol?" Normally insurers will have a general exclusion that prohibits claims where alcohol was the root cause, which can be a nasty shock.
My drink deluxe package was MUCH cheaper for my sailing coming up on 9/1... $46/day before gratuities 7-day on Liberty OTS. Hope y’all have fun! I also booked the key and unlimited dining :)
Hi, how far in advance did you buy the package? I haven't seen it below 52 for a while and my sail date is middle of October. Might just have to give in
I think the drink package on RCCL is worth buying. If you get it online before the cruise at around $50 a day it equates to about 5 or 6 drinks a day which is very easy to do even on port days. Throw in the fact that bottled water is included and it is easy to go through a lot of water during the day. I also agree that not having to sign a bunch of slips throughout every day and having to keep an eye on your account to ensure there are no mistakes made adds to the value. My wife and I are not big drinkers at all. Normal weeks at home I average 2-3 drinks per week and my wife is even less but on vacation and especially on a cruise we tend to indulge a little more when it comes to alcohol so drink package is definitely worth it for us. The beverage packages on NCL are quite a bit more expensive but so far we have used one of our upgrades on the beverage package. If not then it might be a little tougher decision for us because they are so much pricier. We have talked about at some point not getting the beverage package and only having a drink by the pool in the afternoon and one with dinner but we are not at that point yet.
We’re not big drinkers so we always get the wine package at dinner . Then goto the bar that has happy hour and get one drink full price and the second one is two dollars
I think it all depends on the individual. My husband and I love sailing with NCL for their Free at Seas..However on RCI you have to pay for the extra, but it does benefit us to do the beverage package....we do the deluxe package, so if you could drink 5ish drinks a day...it makes sense. We've been on cruises where our bar bill was over the actual price of the package lol my mom will get the soda package only because she have maybe 1 cocktail a day....so it doesnt pay for her a deluxe.
I like to have plenty of cocktails on my cruises but my wife does not. Even if I get the deluxe package and she gets the refreshment package it's not worth it. But I agree with you that we like the psychological benefit of not having a big bill at the end of the cruise. So all I do is prepay money on the credit card I'll be using for our sea pass account. I put down about 3/4s of what one deluxe package costs. That allows us to save a lot of money (instead of buying 2 drink packages), we can drink as much as we want, and we don't have to worry about the bill at the end because we prepaid our credit card!
I hear ya about not wanting to have to worry about every drink purchase and how it hits your budget. My husband and I took our 1st cruise last year (on Carnival) but we couldn't afford the drink package. So we put cruise cash on our cabin account so that we had $$ set aside for alcohol and didn't have to worry about it at the end. With some restraint, we managed to drink only what he had in Cruise Cash. However, this time around (we're doing the same cruise at the same time of year) we did get the drink package so we don't feel so constrained and stressed. Cheers!
On our first cruise, we did not get the package. As you mentioned a big surprise upon disembarking. Since then it's been the deluxe every time. It's kinda hard to resist. Almost everybody near the pool deck has a drink in hand. Also, I'm just a stumble away from any bar on board. There are also softer drinks. Sometimes I just want a soda, OJ(squeezed right there), some decent coffee except SB's, a couple of waters when going ashore. As stated it is convenient. I don't want to decide...hmm? Am I that thirsty enough to justify those ala carte prices. I do like that OJ.
We went on an Alaskan Cruise on RC this year. The drink package was totally worth it for me because I drink a lot of bottled water and specialty coffee drinks in addition to alcohol. My husband does not drink alcohol but we bought him the refreshment package so he could also have unlimited bottled water and coffee drinks! We purchased when they had a BOGO offer so I really felt like I got my money’s worth. Just the bottled water alone that we drank would have been around $30 each and a glass of wine at dinner plus a mimosa and a drink or two each day....
We just came back from our first Royal Caribbean cruise. We purchased the coffee card because I am a big coffee drinker. After a while on board I realized I preferred Starbucks better than the coffee at the promenade café. FYI you can bring on board a Starbucks gift card and use that on the Starbucks on the Royal Caribbean ship. Since I purchased the key, I had internet so I purchased a gift card online and Starbucks just scanned my e gift card from my phone. They key worked out well for us. I needed internet, and since I had no loyalty with RCL, we gave it a try. We loved the perks. VIP seating at all shows is amazing. Priority embarkation and disembarkation, lunch at chops grill the fist day on board. We will get the key again on our next RCL cruise since I need the internet.
The drink package is worth it. The deluxe package on RC covers everything, with the exception of the super premium even then you just pay the difference. My gf is not a big drinker, but she even came out ahead
What was the percentage compared to how much you paid for the whole cruise? Buying the package is similiar to someone trading in a car after 5 years, they justify by saying that there payment is the same and they have a new car, but if you drove it 3 additional years even with some decent high ticket maintenance items you would still come out WAY ahead to 3 years of payments..
If you call Royal Caribbean up and tell them one of the people in your room do not drink alcohol you do not both have to get the Ultimate drink package. However, the other person does have to get one of the other drink packages. We leave on Harmony Sept 29!!
Are there any beverages that come standard with the cruise package, w/o a drink package? We cruise w/Disney a lot and all non-alcoholic beverages come w/your cruise.
I rarely get the drink package because I am usually traveling with my brother, mom, or both. They are both light drinkers so while the drink package works for me, it doesn't make sense to do two or three packages. Now when I am solo it is drink package all the way.
It is painful to purchase, but it is almost worth it for us. Mac Per day: 4 bottles of water, 2 espressos, 2 pool drinks, 2 glasses of wine in the evening. But we don't have to be bothered by constantly signing checks. I wish RC had "levels" of alcohol packages, so we would not have to subsidize those that stay sloshed all day.
Amen, sister! It's all about knowing my costs ahead of time. We cruise Carnival, where about 5-6 drinks a day breaks even. I'm what I'd call a semi-moderate drinker but on vacation I can really knock 'em back 😜
Thanks for the info. For me, a package makes sense. A couple mamosas, a couple beers in the afternoon, coctails and wine in the evening. Premium coffee is just a bonus. This is a vacation 😎
Yes the non alcoholic is a good deal if are not a big drinker. If you drink Specialty coffees and lots of water or want a lava flow with out alcohol. To me not have a bill at the end of cruise is worth it. If you drink alcoholic drinks there no cut off drink all you want try new thing. That fun too
Great video on this. It's a topic that seems to come up again and again. We may be sailing on RC coming up and I'm thinking the refreshment package sounds amazing. I'd love to see a similar video for Carnival. Even though it was an easy "no" for my husband and I (I don't drink and he will only want 1-2 a day) I see SO many people asking about it in Carnival groups.
On past Holland America cruises, we have bought a drink package for my husband but not for myself. They will only let you purchase one drink at a time. I guess the work around would be to go two different bars but you would probably have to wait in line at each bar, is that how you want to spend your time, waiting for drinks? We also have purchase wine packages for wine at dinner. I know that you can each bring a bottle of wine on board with you when you embark but are charged a corkage fee usually about $15 per bottle, so unless you find a good wine under $15, (Bev Mo’s 5 cent?) will you save for those 2 bottles.
When I sailed on Independence of the Seas for New Years, I was able to get the package on sale for $49 dollars a day. Me and my wife jumped on this deal and it ended up being so worth it. We are wine drinkers mostly and will have a couple of martinis in between. With wine you only get 6 oz’s per glass which isn’t much. So for lunch we may have two glasses then two more for dinner. And we would have our martinis or mixed drinks on deck or at one of the shows. Another things we loved was being able to take a risk trying drinks we have never had before. And if we didn’t like it we didn’t feel like we were forced to drink it so we didn’t waste our money. When I sailed on Allure of the Seas in June with just my teenage daughter I didn’t buy the package but I did buy the 10 drink card that became available on day 4 of my 7 day cruise. The total cost with gratuity included was $88 dollars. Then just a couple of weeks ago I was on another cruise line with my wife. And she didn’t want to get the drink package because she figured we could save by bringing our two bottles of wine on the ship and only do a couple of drinks daily. This ended up being a disaster because she was constantly asking me to check our cruise account to see where we stood on the balance. Unfortunately we ended up paying more than we would have if we had the package. Well she didn’t want to listen lol. So my advice if you drink save yourself the stress and get the package. It’s better to have a peace of mind knowing that you will not have a shocking bill at the end of your cruise.
Can someone explain the private islands to me? I always thought cruise lines got kickbacks from tiny islands for all the tourists they bring there who in turn drop dollars into their economies. A private island seems great for the passengers with little upside for the line, unless they have figured out that without all that spending onshore the passengers are freer to spend onboard.
Thanks for the tips. We are going on the Independence if the seas in 2021, and I didn’t want to purchase the drink package, but my husband does! So we will probably get it. It does take all the worry out of how many drinks have we gotten today! Love your channel by the way!! Keep the vlogs coming...!
If you are worried about prices, just religiously check your "Cruise Planner" on the royal caribbean website. The prices for everything inflate and dive down all the time. I was able to purchase my "Refreshment Package" at the delightful price of $18 a day (The lowest price I've personally seen since Black Friday). Even if you already purchased a package and happen to see a better price, you can cancel your purchase, and repurchase for the lower price you see!
We got the refreshment package on RCL's Allure of the Seas and with the fresh squeezed orange juice at $8.25 and $4 lattes every day it was easy to break even or better.
Question: My (ex) wife had the annoying habit of buying rounds for people she didn't even know, landing me a big bill at the end of the cruise. If I had had a drinks package would she be allowed to obtain drinks for others in a group?
I don't think I'd get the package as a solo cruiser, but if I was traveling with family, it'd be worth it to not worry about the littles and getting them juice or non-carbonated beverages.
Hello there, I have a question. I am taking my two young grandchildren 13 and 15 they DO NOT drink alcohol 🍷 🍹 drinks at all.....but I will like to buy. The adults deluxe unlimited drinks for myself. Do you think Royal Caribbean will let me buy it? Thank you 🙏
Thank you so much for all of those tips! My dad and I go on a Steelers cruise which is on RC and he doesn’t drink either. I’m always so frustrated i cant buy the deluxe package. Now I can’t make that phone call and i can get the deluxe package and he can get the non alcoholic package!
My husband drinks(he loves his margaritas🍹) and I do not drink, so he usually gets the Deluxe Drink Package + Voom combo and we call Royal Caribbean and get the Refreshment Package for me. Also don't forget the Deluxe Drink Package usually includes milkshakes from Johnny Rockets(I say usually because it might have changed).
Thanks fo really great tips.....as well as enjoying cocktails, we love specialty coffees and drink lots of bottled water so yes decided to get the deluxe drinks package on the Ovation 🙂
Sooo?? we are a party of 5. Two rooms. One with our three boys : 25, 19,17 Second rm: husband and I. As far as drink packages we bought one Deluxe for adult son, one refreshment package for son 2 and soda package for son 3. We purchased Refreshment package for myself but my husband said he doesnt need a package. Are they going to insist I purchase him a package of some kind? Any suggestions? Wait and see? Call and ask? We leave Sept7!
Does carnival have an exception to the drink package where only one adult can purchase the package even though there are two adults in the same stateroom?
In your video you mentioned that RC requires you to by the package...but is that true or did you mean IF an adult buys the deluxe package, then all adults in the same stateroom must also purchase the same package? Also, minors would have to buy at least a soda package, at least that's how I understand it. Thanks for the video. My wife and I decided to skip the package as we're not going to consume 7 beverages per day each..
Hey Hector! Normally Royal Caribbean requires all adults in the state room to purchase a deluxe (alcohol) beverage package. Our situation is unique because my husband does not drink alcohol. Royal Caribbean allows People in that situation to buy one deluxe beverage package for the person who drinks and a royal refreshment package for the person who does not drink in the same state room. The third person in the state room if a minor does not have to buy any package at all. We just returned from adventure of the seas and our son was the third person in the room and he did not have to buy a package. I’m hoping that this helps you. This video is a bit old so I’m not exactly sure which part of the video you’re addressing. Feel free to reach out if I didn’t cover! Sheri
@@CruiseTipsTV thanks. What I’m saying is that buying a drink package is not mandatory to sail, but if someone buys it, then everyone in the stateroom has to buy one.
If you have already paid for the drink package it usual is waiting on you in your stateroom. If you wait and pay for the package on the ship they give it to you then. However, we have always got ours in their cruise planner because its cheaper that way. Just make sure you keep watching their prices. You usually can change if they have a better deal than what you originally paid. You just have to cancel the first package you paid for and then buy the new lower priced one right then, don't wait because you never know when that sale will go off. Just know that it takes about a week or two for the credit of the original package to show up on your credit card.
Holland America has best perks for 4 star mariners, including beverage package, laundry, wine, coffee and tea, and tendering. Not even mención that they have the best itineraries. Absolute best!
great tips! I travel a lot with my mom and she doesn't drink but I would like some cocktails. Never got the drink package because of that...unless it is included with a promo. good to know! Thanks.
Why worry about drink cost when you know no matter how much you drink you just can’t drink THAT much. If you do then most likely you will die from alcohol poisoning
We are sailing on Adventure in October and our drink package was $51 (which includes the 18% gratuity)! I understand it’s a smaller and older ship but still. We totally scored! A little RCCL hint...if you buy the drink package, WiFi, etc, and the price goes down, you can get a refund and purchase it again at the cheaper price! That’s what we did and boy did it pay off.
My wife and I bought the drink package on freedom. We thought it was awesome. We drank a LOT. Why not? They didn’t make money on us. The only thing that I wish is a separate beer line that would move faster than the cocktail 🍹 line. C’mon RCL.
No drink limit on Royal Caribbean ... and that's good because????? Obviously why there are so many drunks onboard who can't get up on time for excursions the following morning!
No...I would say unless you down 5+drinks a day absolutely not. Most people don't....if you drink 5 beers a day and they're like 6 a piece, that's only 40$ after gratuities. Most people order 2-3 mixed drinks then they're good. That's about 30-40$ right there.So youre not breaking even unless youre planning on drinking all day everyday.
As I made a reply on someone else's comment. I dont have that kind of money to spend and my friend wanted to take me on a cruise and he was like oh that is way too much money for me to spend.
Though I’m a very light consumer of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, I can appreciate the package offerings. However, on both Holland America and Celebrity cruises I did this year, I found the pushy, heavy-handed sales approach by almost every food and beverage employee I encountered during the first 2 days of the cruises to be very offensive and off-putting; it set a very unpleasant tone for the start of the cruises. They would not take “no” for an answer - a sure sign that these packages are far more lucrative for the cruise lines than for the passengers.
$89 per day per person +18% gratuities on a 7 day cruise for me and my wife would be $735 for me and $735 for her???? i'm confused... somebody please help me and tell me my math is off we're tryna book for the end of 2020 but at those rates we'll do something else
What makes it confusing is that the prices vary GREATLY on Royal Caribbean's cruise planner. I got my drink package for about $46 per day plus gratuities, so keep an eye on those prices. they will likely come down!
What makes it confusing is that the prices vary GREATLY on Royal Caribbean's cruise planner. I got my drink package for about $46 per day plus gratuities, so keep an eye on those prices. they will likely come down!
CruiseTipsTV sheesh!! our last cruise was royal but the one before that was norwegian i’d encourage folks to look into their sailings they give away the drink packages you only pay the gratuities because $1400 just to drink is wild and im wondering if theyd also make me buy the soda packages for the kids if we take them
@@philly440 We have done both RC and NCL and we took the beverage package as one of the upgrades with NCL we purchased it through RC and the price for the cruise on RC was a little cheaper than a comparable one with NCL so it probably worked out the same in the end. I do like the beverage package on RC better because it includes bottled water and specialty coffee but I felt the bar service was quicker on NCL.
We did too, on a 14 night cruise....we would never have bought it otherwise....$300 per person (which converted to around $450nzd), as opposed to a price of around $1500nzd pp. we aren’t big drinkers, but this covers smoothies, juices and coffees, which easily covers our $18 per day investment....
I understand why they have the drink cup but having to carry it around can be a pain, especially since it dose not have a handle (harder to hold for small hands or with people having difficulty using their hands). My wife and I used the cup once, we just got the cold soda cans instead. We got the drink package for peace of mind also and would do it again.
With the "sales" on the Cruise Planner - it sounds like it was showing $55 on the "Buy One, Get One Free" for you. You assumed this meant the first person was $55 and the second person was half of that. Actually the $55 was per person and that BOGO was already reflected in the price - it would have been $110 + gratuities for the two of you, so buying the Refreshment Package for Mr CCTV was a much better deal. I know it looked like a great deal on the cruise planner, but always ignore the banners that say "20%" or "30%" or "BOGO" and just look at the price per person, because that is really what you'll pay. Regardless, it's cheaper buying through the cruise planner as the cost on the ship is insanely expensive. We both got the Deluxe Drink Package for our Alaska Ovation sailing in June - my husband easily drank nearly $15 worth of premium coffees per day before he ever started drinking alcohol, and I was able to get as many sugar free Red Bulls as I wanted, which was awesome (they were really expensive). I would always get at least a Refreshment Package, so the way I figure if the drink package is worth it is take the difference between the DDP and the Refreshment and decide if I'd drink that much alcohol. It turned out I'd only need to drink 2-3 drinks a day (we paid $48 pppd for Ovation on the Cruise Planner) to make it worth it - easy decision! Plus no bill at the end. On Quantum and Oasis Class ships they cover drinks up to $13, and you have to look pretty hard to find something that goes over that. Also the Bionic Bar is A BLAST. My husband spent a lot of time at that thing (rarely had to wait, whereas the real bars were pretty crowded). They do have virgin drinks at the Bionic Bar for Jr and Mr CCTV!
Thank-you. I do like those tips. I've learned a lot through trial and error. I still have a lot to learn. Plus you're kinda cute. I mean no disrespect to Mr. CruiseTips.
You’ll most likely get very, very close to breaking even: Sheri. People are often surprised. The coffee on RC isn’t good, so my husband and I get speciality coffees at the Windjammer (buffet - there’s a place for Americanos, Lattes, etc,) in the MDR or the Royal Promenade at Cafe Promenade. Also a tip that a bar staff gave us on Day 1 was every time we were getting ready to head to our room, pop by a bar and grab some bottled water to start “stockpiling” for our stateroom. Also, now you can try tons of different cocktails. Don’t like one? No problem! They are all paid for! LOL! Also, you can give your soda cup that works with the Coke Freestyle machines to Junior Editor and it will be like he has the classic soda package. There are machines at the Windjammer, Royal Promenade and near the sports deck. We swear by the beverage package and always pre purchase to take advantage of the discount (like the BOGO) prior to sailing (our Harmony sailing was ($48pp/day+taxes and gratuities). Lastly, not many mixed drinks are over $12. Glasses of wine, yes. However, you just pay the difference (If the glass of wine is $17 you’d be charged $5 plus tax and gratuities on the $5). I can generally find a decent glass of wine around the $12 price point to go with dinner though. Hope this helps, you’re going to have a BLAST!!!
I wish I could go on a cruise but the drink package really is too much money for me to handle. My friend wanted to take me on a cruise and when i showed him the cost of the drink package he was like me in saying it just costs too much to take a trip.
My Party of 5 how far in advance did you purchase your package? My Harmony of the seas package is $61 per day per person on the BOGO sale right now and my sailing is late March/early April! Thanks!
@@TomGeek1980 Hey Tom, Norwegian Cruise Line INCLUDES a beverage package on 99% of their cruises. They include it as a "perk" when you book a room. Best decision I ever made! Save money and get TONS of drinks. Hope that helps!
TomGreek1980 wait til they go on sail
Magical Coffee Maker but NCL prices are higher to compensate the free stuff and we discovered the service and food were much better on RCCL so it’s buyer beware
Hi! My bf & I are currently sailing on Allure of the Seas. We have the ultimate drink package is 500% worth it for us. We dont cruise without it! We love ordering whatever we want, whenever we want with no worries!
We ended up buying less expensive alcoholic drinks on land, and my husband spent half of what he would have with that drink package which may also have been to him choosing not to keep drinking when he otherwise would. We brought two bottles of wine. We debated about it for a long time! It was our honeymoon in January but I’m also not much of a drinker. Turns out that was a good thing because our baby is arriving in a week or two!
Great video Sheri :) we bought a refreshment drink package on our P&O aus cruise last week :) it cost us $25 (AUD) per day each. Myself and my fiance got one and my mum got a soft drink package ($10 AUD per day) and we were all sharing a cabin. We were the same as u, we wasn't sure if we would even use our value each day that we paid for the package, but the convenience of just swipping our cruise cards for all of our drinks and not having to stress worrying if we had enough OBC to cover all of our drinks was fantastic :) makes the cruise so much more relaxing :) we did purchase a few cocktails though and just paid for it out of our OBC
My poor elderly mum was so confused onboard, it actually broke my heart
She kept asking when we went to dinner was the money coming out of her OBC and worried that she would run out of money. We had to keep telling her that all of the restaurants we went too the food was included in her cruise fare. But she just could not get her head around it that we were eating at lovely restaurants and she didn't have to pay anything for her meal. It was her first proper cruise. We do have one booked on royal Caribbean November next year, then anothet booked back on p&o aus in 2024, hopefully she will understand how it works a bit more by then :) although travelling on royal carribean will most likely confuse her again as we will have to pay for all of our drinks. The refreshment package for that cruise is $54 (AUD) per day and we def cannot drink that much each day, with it being a 3 night cruise and 1 of those days we are in Port. So as it'll be different to our p&o cruises i think she will again get really confused. Poor thing :(
You hit the nail on the head, Sheri, regarding the psychological aspect of investing in the package. Celebrity (of course a Royal Caribbean International subsidiary), offers beverage package tiers similar to RCCL and Shannon and I will in fact be upgrading our package to their Premium Package ahead of our 2021 sailing (at the time of booking we took advantage of a promo that Celebrity had going that included their Classic Beverage Package with an option to upgrade to Premium at an additional cost). Both of us are drinkers and while we may or may not be ordering enough drinks to fulfill the cost of the package, neither of us want to worry about a bar tab at the end of the sailing. Better to pay upfront than be surprised at the end of the cruise,
Absolutely agree my friend!
@@CruiseTipsTV Cheers! :)
Also- The sales in the cruise planner change regularly. If something goes on sale for less than you purchased at you can cancel and repurchase at the lower rate. Same for dining or excursions booked via Royal. You can also apply OBC to purchases made before embarkation via the cruise planner.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I checked on my solo Costa cruise and the mid level drink package for my 21 day transatlantic worked out to less than $32 a day including service charge. It includes soda, coffees, beer, wine, and basic mid range liqueurs, and most cocktails. Premium brands are extra.
If you want the drink package, you need to watch the prices early on. We got ours for $47 per day for a cruise starting this week.
Did that $47 include the 18% gratuity?
If you plan to drink alcohol often, get the deluxe drink package. If you’ll only drink one drink a day, don’t. For me, it was worth it. I drank with every meal and in between. Lol. Juice, water, basic coffee and stuff was all free at the Windjammer. This is a very useful video.
We ended up getting the deluxe drink package for our Alaska trip and I don’t regret it one bit. It was also on sale for the buy one get one 50% off and we took full advantage of it. While we do drink we also had coffee and water and fresh juice. It was nice not to have to think about what I was spending and we always found something within the dollar threshold. I highly recommended it especially if you can get a good deal.
Great video! My only tip to add is to be aware that the cruise lines charge double for double shot drinks. My brother ordered those and when we saw the bill, we were pretty floored by how much his drink purchases amounted to. For instance, if one shot was $8, his drink was $16! Keep that in mind and keep track of the type of drinks you’re ordering!
I just got off Harmony Of the Seas this past Sunday. We purchased two refreshment packages, one for each kid. It was well worth it, as my kids love mocktails, fancy coffees, bottled water, soda, etc. They were easily able to get these drinks for me and my husband as well. We aren't big alchoholic drinkers, so whatever we wanted we would just purchase. Worked out well.
In my experience it was worth it . If you average about four to five drinks plus a speciality coffee in morning and at dinner and then get a bottle of water each time you order drink it works out ! Plus you still will get the odd soda or juice here or there . Make sure to look for sales in your cruise planner to get the best price .
I agree! We always get the package. PLUS, I hate to worry about checking my bill every 5 mins. It is vacation, just enjoy.
Your experience with the drink packages is exactly what we experienced. My wife does not drink alcoholic beverages. I too phoned RC and we received the exception as well. This worked perfectly for us and as you mentioned, there were no “surprises” on our statement at the end of the cruise. Excellent video!
I enjoyed the ability to try different cocktails and not feel badly if I didnt care for them. And as you mentioned it's really nice knowing there are no big surprises when you get off the ship, cost-wise! GREAT vlog as usual and a nice explanation for how you might be able to get around having to pay the premium drink package for everyone in cabin!
Thanks for the research efforts! I always go back & forth! We generally just order a bottle of Crown (usually around $100) to be delivered to the cabin on day 2 and it lasts us the week. But, we either have to drag our soda on board with us, or buy that on the ship which can get costly! Plus if we want one of the specialty cocktails, fresh juices, or coffee's it goes on our ship balance. This info will be helpful when planning our next cruise!
I purchased the refreshment package at 30% off for our Majesty of the Seas cruise last week, only one of us had to purchase it in our cabin. I enjoyed the non alcoholic drinks 🍹 with no additional charge or tipping. I had 4 virgin mojitos and virgin Bahama Mama drinks first day! Totally worth it ... I would cruise Royal Caribbean again mainly because they offer that option.
YUM! Sounds tasty! Thanks for sharing!
The best advice I ever got regarding drink packages because I really don't drink much and the amount that you would have to drink to break even is about 15 drinks a day instead.. take the money that you would spend on a drink package put it on your onboard credit card and charge against it at the end of the cruise you'll be surprised that you really didn't drink $800 worth of alcohol you only drank about $500 worth of alcohol and we'll leave with about $300 in pocket 😁😁
Royal will also do a 30% off drinks packages and that is an awesome sale. Our last cruise we did the Deluxe Package and it was WELL worth the money.
Yup, our travel agent was able to get me the deluxe package as long as my husband purchased the refreshment package. We were happy with that.
This is why I buy the drink package. I love being able to walk on board knowing that I have covered as many of my costs as possible. Plus I do tend to try new drinks knowing that I’m not spending extra money.
Great tips Sheri! We buy the drink package as well for our cruise. Royal always runs sales on the packages and so we buy it before we sail. It makes it easier not to worry about prices or bills on our vacation.
I like that you dont have to get the higher package for everyone. We did get it for our cruise on Carnival and they had it to where is the drink was $20 or $18 drink more you had to pay for it. There wasnt a lot that I saw more than that. Plue have fun on your cruise and drink one for everyone that wish they was there.
I only just found out this. "Will your travel insurance cover you if you have an accident under the influence of alcohol?" Normally insurers will have a general exclusion that prohibits claims where alcohol was the root cause, which can be a nasty shock.
My drink deluxe package was MUCH cheaper for my sailing coming up on 9/1... $46/day before gratuities 7-day on Liberty OTS.
Hope y’all have fun! I also booked the key and unlimited dining :)
Hi, how far in advance did you buy the package? I haven't seen it below 52 for a while and my sail date is middle of October. Might just have to give in
I think the drink package on RCCL is worth buying. If you get it online before the cruise at around $50 a day it equates to about 5 or 6 drinks a day which is very easy to do even on port days. Throw in the fact that bottled water is included and it is easy to go through a lot of water during the day. I also agree that not having to sign a bunch of slips throughout every day and having to keep an eye on your account to ensure there are no mistakes made adds to the value. My wife and I are not big drinkers at all. Normal weeks at home I average 2-3 drinks per week and my wife is even less but on vacation and especially on a cruise we tend to indulge a little more when it comes to alcohol so drink package is definitely worth it for us.
The beverage packages on NCL are quite a bit more expensive but so far we have used one of our upgrades on the beverage package. If not then it might be a little tougher decision for us because they are so much pricier. We have talked about at some point not getting the beverage package and only having a drink by the pool in the afternoon and one with dinner but we are not at that point yet.
We’re not big drinkers so we always get the wine package at dinner . Then goto the bar that has happy hour and get one drink full price and the second one is two dollars
I think it all depends on the individual. My husband and I love sailing with NCL for their Free at Seas..However on RCI you have to pay for the extra, but it does benefit us to do the beverage package....we do the deluxe package, so if you could drink 5ish drinks a day...it makes sense. We've been on cruises where our bar bill was over the actual price of the package lol my mom will get the soda package only because she have maybe 1 cocktail a day....so it doesnt pay for her a deluxe.
I like to have plenty of cocktails on my cruises but my wife does not. Even if I get the deluxe package and she gets the refreshment package it's not worth it. But I agree with you that we like the psychological benefit of not having a big bill at the end of the cruise. So all I do is prepay money on the credit card I'll be using for our sea pass account. I put down about 3/4s of what one deluxe package costs. That allows us to save a lot of money (instead of buying 2 drink packages), we can drink as much as we want, and we don't have to worry about the bill at the end because we prepaid our credit card!
I hear ya about not wanting to have to worry about every drink purchase and how it hits your budget. My husband and I took our 1st cruise last year (on Carnival) but we couldn't afford the drink package. So we put cruise cash on our cabin account so that we had $$ set aside for alcohol and didn't have to worry about it at the end. With some restraint, we managed to drink only what he had in Cruise Cash. However, this time around (we're doing the same cruise at the same time of year) we did get the drink package so we don't feel so constrained and stressed. Cheers!
On our first cruise, we did not get the package. As you mentioned a big surprise upon disembarking.
Since then it's been the deluxe every time. It's kinda hard to resist. Almost everybody near the pool deck has a drink in hand. Also, I'm just a stumble away from any bar on board.
There are also softer drinks. Sometimes I just want a soda, OJ(squeezed right there), some decent coffee except SB's, a couple of waters when going ashore. As stated it is convenient. I don't want to decide...hmm? Am I that thirsty enough to justify those ala carte prices. I do like that OJ.
Great video! The beverage package calculator is awesome!! Thank you.
We went on an Alaskan Cruise on RC this year. The drink package was totally worth it for me because I drink a lot of bottled water and specialty coffee drinks in addition to alcohol.
My husband does not drink alcohol but we bought him the refreshment package so he could also have unlimited bottled water and coffee drinks! We purchased when they had a BOGO offer so I really felt like I got my money’s worth. Just the bottled water alone that we drank would have been around $30 each and a glass of wine at dinner plus a mimosa and a drink or two each day....
We just came back from our first Royal Caribbean cruise. We purchased the coffee card because I am a big coffee drinker. After a while on board I realized I preferred Starbucks better than the coffee at the promenade café. FYI you can bring on board a Starbucks gift card and use that on the Starbucks on the Royal Caribbean ship. Since I purchased the key, I had internet so I purchased a gift card online and Starbucks just scanned my e gift card from my phone. They key worked out well for us. I needed internet, and since I had no loyalty with RCL, we gave it a try. We loved the perks. VIP seating at all shows is amazing. Priority embarkation and disembarkation, lunch at chops grill the fist day on board. We will get the key again on our next RCL cruise since I need the internet.
The drink package is worth it. The deluxe package on RC covers everything, with the exception of the super premium even then you just pay the difference. My gf is not a big drinker, but she even came out ahead
I agree. we LOVED the fresh squeezed juices at the Vitality spa- that alone was probably $25 a day toward the package.
What is the cost for things like smoothies and milk shakes?
What was the percentage compared to how much you paid for the whole cruise?
Buying the package is similiar to someone trading in a car after 5 years, they justify by saying that there payment is the same and they have a new car, but if you drove it 3 additional years even with some decent high ticket maintenance items you would still come out WAY ahead to 3 years of payments..
If you call Royal Caribbean up and tell them one of the people in your room do not drink alcohol you do not both have to get the Ultimate drink package. However, the other person does have to get one of the other drink packages.
We leave on Harmony Sept 29!!
For the Harmony we got the Ultimate drink Package for $47/day/person + gratuity
imlon2 That’s my sailing day too. First time cruising 😁
@@imlon2 how you get this price? I saw just 61$ in planer
Are there any beverages that come standard with the cruise package, w/o a drink package? We cruise w/Disney a lot and all non-alcoholic beverages come w/your cruise.
Yes! Most cruise lines offer basic coffee, tea, lemonade and water.
I rarely get the drink package because I am usually traveling with my brother, mom, or both. They are both light drinkers so while the drink package works for me, it doesn't make sense to do two or three packages. Now when I am solo it is drink package all the way.
It is painful to purchase, but it is almost worth it for us. Mac Per day: 4 bottles of water, 2 espressos, 2 pool drinks, 2 glasses of wine in the evening. But we don't have to be bothered by constantly signing checks. I wish RC had "levels" of alcohol packages, so we would not have to subsidize those that stay sloshed all day.
*max per day _ typo
I had the refrehment package and got a cappuccino every night with dessert! So great!!
Amen, sister! It's all about knowing my costs ahead of time. We cruise Carnival, where about 5-6 drinks a day breaks even. I'm what I'd call a semi-moderate drinker but on vacation I can really knock 'em back 😜
Thanks for the info. For me, a package makes sense. A couple mamosas, a couple beers in the afternoon, coctails and wine in the evening. Premium coffee is just a bonus. This is a vacation 😎
Agreed! That's a vacation!
Did mr ccty like the refreshment package? Debating between that at just soda
He loved it and we found it to be an incredible value- with included fresh squeezed juices and smoothies from the healthy cafe!
Yes the non alcoholic is a good deal if are not a big drinker. If you drink Specialty coffees and lots of water or want a lava flow with out alcohol. To me not have a bill at the end of cruise is worth it. If you drink alcoholic drinks there no cut off drink all you want try new thing. That fun too
Great video on this. It's a topic that seems to come up again and again. We may be sailing on RC coming up and I'm thinking the refreshment package sounds amazing. I'd love to see a similar video for Carnival. Even though it was an easy "no" for my husband and I (I don't drink and he will only want 1-2 a day) I see SO many people asking about it in Carnival groups.
On past Holland America cruises, we have bought a drink package for my husband but not for myself. They will only let you purchase one drink at a time. I guess the work around would be to go two different bars but you would probably have to wait in line at each bar, is that how you want to spend your time, waiting for drinks? We also have purchase wine packages for wine at dinner. I know that you can each bring a bottle of wine on board with you when you embark but are charged a corkage fee usually about $15 per bottle, so unless you find a good wine under $15, (Bev Mo’s 5 cent?) will you save for those 2 bottles.
When I sailed on Independence of the Seas for New Years, I was able to get the package on sale for $49 dollars a day. Me and my wife jumped on this deal and it ended up being so worth it. We are wine drinkers mostly and will have a couple of martinis in between. With wine you only get 6 oz’s per glass which isn’t much. So for lunch we may have two glasses then two more for dinner. And we would have our martinis or mixed drinks on deck or at one of the shows. Another things we loved was being able to take a risk trying drinks we have never had before. And if we didn’t like it we didn’t feel like we were forced to drink it so we didn’t waste our money. When I sailed on Allure of the Seas in June with just my teenage daughter I didn’t buy the package but I did buy the 10 drink card that became available on day 4 of my 7 day cruise. The total cost with gratuity included was $88 dollars. Then just a couple of weeks ago I was on another cruise line with my wife. And she didn’t want to get the drink package because she figured we could save by bringing our two bottles of wine on the ship and only do a couple of drinks daily. This ended up being a disaster because she was constantly asking me to check our cruise account to see where we stood on the balance. Unfortunately we ended up paying more than we would have if we had the package. Well she didn’t want to listen lol. So my advice if you drink save yourself the stress and get the package. It’s better to have a peace of mind knowing that you will not have a shocking bill at the end of your cruise.
Can someone explain the private islands to me? I always thought cruise lines got kickbacks from tiny islands for all the tourists they bring there who in turn drop dollars into their economies. A private island seems great for the passengers with little upside for the line, unless they have figured out that without all that spending onshore the passengers are freer to spend onboard.
Thanks for the tips. We are going on the Independence if the seas in 2021, and I didn’t want to purchase the drink package, but my husband does! So we will probably get it. It does take all the worry out of how many drinks have we gotten today! Love your channel by the way!! Keep the vlogs coming...!
Thank you for this video. It’ll help me in deciding whether to get the drink package or not.
If you are worried about prices, just religiously check your "Cruise Planner" on the royal caribbean website. The prices for everything inflate and dive down all the time. I was able to purchase my "Refreshment Package" at the delightful price of $18 a day (The lowest price I've personally seen since Black Friday). Even if you already purchased a package and happen to see a better price, you can cancel your purchase, and repurchase for the lower price you see!
We got the refreshment package on RCL's Allure of the Seas and with the fresh squeezed orange juice at $8.25 and $4 lattes every day it was easy to break even or better.
Is a "kiddie cocktail" considered a mocktail?? I.e. would it or would it not be included in the basic soda package??
Yes, most likely it would be. Not included in the basic soda package on most cruise lines.
I have heard of the coffee card... but can’t find anything about it. Can you do some research on it. Please.
Thanks RCL for $18 pd I’m going to enjoy my next cruise 🎉🎊🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹
Katie Schaefers we got it for our March cruise !
Me too!
$18/person /day
How did you get that??
Love RCCL
My cruise is March 2022 when can I start planning and buying the drink packages?
Question: My (ex) wife had the annoying habit of buying rounds for people she didn't even know, landing me a big bill at the end of the cruise. If I had had a drinks package would she be allowed to obtain drinks for others in a group?
No, just for her. They don't allow sharing.
I don't think I'd get the package as a solo cruiser, but if I was traveling with family, it'd be worth it to not worry about the littles and getting them juice or non-carbonated beverages.
NCL had a promo including premium drink package for 2 adults per stateroom. Seems like that is better deal?
Great video, I often wondered how it worked. I would now consider purchasing the drink package with all the other inclusions. Thanks.
Hello there, I have a question. I am taking my two young grandchildren 13 and 15 they DO NOT drink alcohol 🍷 🍹 drinks at all.....but I will like to buy. The adults deluxe unlimited drinks for myself. Do you think Royal Caribbean will let me buy it? Thank you 🙏
Yes they will! Call them and they will explain.
Thank you, your videos have helped me very much.
I wish Carnival did the non-drinker option. We just buy my husband a bottle prior to the cruise for the room.
Thank you so much for all of those tips! My dad and I go on a Steelers cruise which is on RC and he doesn’t drink either. I’m always so frustrated i cant buy the deluxe package. Now I can’t make that phone call and i can get the deluxe package and he can get the non alcoholic package!
Awesome! Have a great Steelers Cruise!
Can’t come soon enough! It’s in February!
My husband drinks(he loves his margaritas🍹) and I do not drink, so he usually gets the Deluxe Drink Package + Voom combo and we call Royal Caribbean and get the Refreshment Package for me. Also don't forget the Deluxe Drink Package usually includes milkshakes from Johnny Rockets(I say usually because it might have changed).
Thanks fo really great tips.....as well as enjoying cocktails, we love specialty coffees and drink lots of bottled water so yes decided to get the deluxe drinks package on the Ovation 🙂
Hi i was wondering who you had to call to get your drinking packages togther. I'm pretty much in the same situation
Sooo?? we are a party of 5. Two rooms. One with our three boys : 25, 19,17 Second rm: husband and I. As far as drink packages we bought one Deluxe for adult son, one refreshment package for son 2 and soda package for son 3. We purchased Refreshment package for myself but my husband said he doesnt need a package. Are they going to insist I purchase him a package of some kind? Any suggestions? Wait and see? Call and ask? We leave Sept7!
I'm doing the Ultimate package for all the other non alcoholic beverages. And yes I will partake in the 🍸🍹🥂🍷🍷
Does carnival have an exception to the drink package where only one adult can purchase the package even though there are two adults in the same stateroom?
Jennifer Lampp both adults have to buy the packages on carnival. It totally sucks
Great tips Sheri. Thank you for the special exception tip. Never heard that one before.
In your video you mentioned that RC requires you to by the package...but is that true or did you mean IF an adult buys the deluxe package, then all adults in the same stateroom must also purchase the same package? Also, minors would have to buy at least a soda package, at least that's how I understand it. Thanks for the video. My wife and I decided to skip the package as we're not going to consume 7 beverages per day each..
Hey Hector!
Normally Royal Caribbean requires all adults in the state room to purchase a deluxe (alcohol) beverage package. Our situation is unique because my husband does not drink alcohol. Royal Caribbean allows People in that situation to buy one deluxe beverage package for the person who drinks and a royal refreshment package for the person who does not drink in the same state room. The third person in the state room if a minor does not have to buy any package at all. We just returned from adventure of the seas and our son was the third person in the room and he did not have to buy a package. I’m hoping that this helps you. This video is a bit old so I’m not exactly sure which part of the video you’re addressing. Feel free to reach out if I didn’t cover!
Sheri
@@CruiseTipsTV thanks. What I’m saying is that buying a drink package is not mandatory to sail, but if someone buys it, then everyone in the stateroom has to buy one.
Where do you pick up the souvenir cup for the soda package?
If you have already paid for the drink package it usual is waiting on you in your stateroom. If you wait and pay for the package on the ship they give it to you then. However, we have always got ours in their cruise planner because its cheaper that way. Just make sure you keep watching their prices. You usually can change if they have a better deal than what you originally paid. You just have to cancel the first package you paid for and then buy the new lower priced one right then, don't wait because you never know when that sale will go off. Just know that it takes about a week or two for the credit of the original package to show up on your credit card.
I was lucky to get the drink package at 18 per day. My bartenders and services will be getting extra tips. Gratuity on 18 is less than 4 bucks a day.
Holland America has best perks for 4 star mariners, including beverage package, laundry, wine, coffee and tea, and tendering. Not even mención that they have the best itineraries. Absolute best!
great tips! I travel a lot with my mom and she doesn't drink but I would like some cocktails. Never got the drink package because of that...unless it is included with a promo. good to know! Thanks.
Awesome, and thank you so much!
Sheri, Thanks so much for going over that in detail. BTW, love your lipstick. It really suits you very well. What is the name of it?
Oh thanks Janet! It’s lipsense summer love
@@CruiseTipsTV love it on you!
Why worry about drink cost when you know no matter how much you drink you just can’t drink THAT much. If you do then most likely you will die from alcohol poisoning
We are sailing on Adventure in October and our drink package was $51 (which includes the 18% gratuity)! I understand it’s a smaller and older ship but still. We totally scored! A little RCCL hint...if you buy the drink package, WiFi, etc, and the price goes down, you can get a refund and purchase it again at the cheaper price! That’s what we did and boy did it pay off.
My wife and I bought the drink package on freedom. We thought it was awesome. We drank a LOT. Why not? They didn’t make money on us. The only thing that I wish is a separate beer line that would move faster than the cocktail 🍹 line. C’mon RCL.
Thanks for sharing this! So, the bars were pretty crowded?
This is super helpful! Thank you!
No drink limit on Royal Caribbean ... and that's good because????? Obviously why there are so many drunks onboard who can't get up on time for excursions the following morning!
No...I would say unless you down 5+drinks a day absolutely not. Most people don't....if you drink 5 beers a day and they're like 6 a piece, that's only 40$ after gratuities. Most people order 2-3 mixed drinks then they're good. That's about 30-40$ right there.So youre not breaking even unless youre planning on drinking all day everyday.
Most people I see on a cruise are definitely drinking at least 5 drinks a day.
its been awhile since I have been here... why no Saturday live streams anymore?
Very helpful , Thanks
There’s no way on earth I would ever spend $1,000+ on a cruise just in liquor. #TeamNoDrinkPkg
agreed! and we don't drink much at all
Drinks package is not $1000
As I made a reply on someone else's comment. I dont have that kind of money to spend and my friend wanted to take me on a cruise and he was like oh that is way too much money for me to spend.
Fixables it would be for two adults on a week long cruise
Buts it’s not just liquor
It’s bottled water
Specialty coffees
Pop
And you can get them on sale too
Though I’m a very light consumer of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, I can appreciate the package offerings. However, on both Holland America and Celebrity cruises I did this year, I found the pushy, heavy-handed sales approach by almost every food and beverage employee I encountered during the first 2 days of the cruises to be very offensive and off-putting; it set a very unpleasant tone for the start of the cruises. They would not take “no” for an answer - a sure sign that these packages are far more lucrative for the cruise lines than for the passengers.
Your videos are super helpful! 🤘🏾
I'm loyal to Royal and this was very helpful!
$89 per day per person +18% gratuities on a 7 day cruise for me and my wife would be $735 for me and $735 for her???? i'm confused... somebody please help me and tell me my math is off we're tryna book for the end of 2020 but at those rates we'll do something else
What makes it confusing is that the prices vary GREATLY on Royal Caribbean's cruise planner. I got my drink package for about $46 per day plus gratuities, so keep an eye on those prices. they will likely come down!
What makes it confusing is that the prices vary GREATLY on Royal Caribbean's cruise planner. I got my drink package for about $46 per day plus gratuities, so keep an eye on those prices. they will likely come down!
CruiseTipsTV sheesh!! our last cruise was royal but the one before that was norwegian i’d encourage folks to look into their sailings they give away the drink packages you only pay the gratuities because $1400 just to drink is wild and im wondering if theyd also make me buy the soda packages for the kids if we take them
@@philly440 We have done both RC and NCL and we took the beverage package as one of the upgrades with NCL we purchased it through RC and the price for the cruise on RC was a little cheaper than a comparable one with NCL so it probably worked out the same in the end. I do like the beverage package on RC better because it includes bottled water and specialty coffee but I felt the bar service was quicker on NCL.
I think I will get the refreshment package.
If the tips are included in the drinks packages. Why are you tipping a drinks dispenser.
We got lucky with the $18 per day deal!!
Lucky!!
Right? To be honest, though, we would have purchased the Deluxe Drink Package anyway!😉
We did too, on a 14 night cruise....we would never have bought it otherwise....$300 per person (which converted to around $450nzd), as opposed to a price of around $1500nzd pp. we aren’t big drinkers, but this covers smoothies, juices and coffees, which easily covers our $18 per day investment....
hey, how did you get this awesome price? Purchasing in advanced and checking the cruise planner?
Do your shopping you can get the unlimited package for $55 ppd
Yes! That’s what I paid too 😀
I will gladly “worry” about a $300 bar tab instead of paying $1,000 for a package 🙄
Great video.
I understand why they have the drink cup but having to carry it around can be a pain, especially since it dose not have a handle (harder to hold for small hands or with people having difficulty using their hands). My wife and I used the cup once, we just got the cold soda cans instead. We got the drink package for peace of mind also and would do it again.
With the "sales" on the Cruise Planner - it sounds like it was showing $55 on the "Buy One, Get One Free" for you. You assumed this meant the first person was $55 and the second person was half of that. Actually the $55 was per person and that BOGO was already reflected in the price - it would have been $110 + gratuities for the two of you, so buying the Refreshment Package for Mr CCTV was a much better deal. I know it looked like a great deal on the cruise planner, but always ignore the banners that say "20%" or "30%" or "BOGO" and just look at the price per person, because that is really what you'll pay. Regardless, it's cheaper buying through the cruise planner as the cost on the ship is insanely expensive. We both got the Deluxe Drink Package for our Alaska Ovation sailing in June - my husband easily drank nearly $15 worth of premium coffees per day before he ever started drinking alcohol, and I was able to get as many sugar free Red Bulls as I wanted, which was awesome (they were really expensive). I would always get at least a Refreshment Package, so the way I figure if the drink package is worth it is take the difference between the DDP and the Refreshment and decide if I'd drink that much alcohol. It turned out I'd only need to drink 2-3 drinks a day (we paid $48 pppd for Ovation on the Cruise Planner) to make it worth it - easy decision! Plus no bill at the end. On Quantum and Oasis Class ships they cover drinks up to $13, and you have to look pretty hard to find something that goes over that. Also the Bionic Bar is A BLAST. My husband spent a lot of time at that thing (rarely had to wait, whereas the real bars were pretty crowded). They do have virgin drinks at the Bionic Bar for Jr and Mr CCTV!
Thank-you. I do like those tips. I've learned a lot through trial and error. I still have a lot to learn.
Plus you're kinda cute. I mean no disrespect to Mr. CruiseTips.
#1 Question - Is the drink package worth it lol