As a first time cruiser I thought the idea of a bar tab was brilliant. I paid $300 and got $425 of value.I was able to link mine and my wifes bracelets, so either of us could pay to access the bar tab and each night we checked exactly how much we'd spent and if it was spot on - it was (in fact we recalled after, that a round of drinks we'd bought hadn't been charged!). Personally I found this an easier option than a drinks package - at least I could make sure I spent what I purchased and once it was gone the remainder would be charged to my card- even drinks packages are priced so they hope that not everyone gets full value!
Hi Don, it really is personal choice with both offer options other than simply paying as you go. As many content creators have covered in many TH-cam videos, Beverage Packages, and now the Bar Tabs ultimate value depends on how much you use them. Of course, as we covered, they also allow pre-budgeting as well, and this is why outside of cruising, All Inclusive Holidays, and things such as Disney Dining Plan are so popular. Do they work out cheaper, no not always, but you know what you've spent in advance. For us, that was one of the big pluses for getting the Bar Tab in advance on Virgin rather than simply paying a bill at the end of it (and you get the bonus credit too). It removes that potential anxiety around what you've spent, or thinking about it each time before getting that coffee or cocktail. Ultimately it is all personal choice, and on a ship with a Beverage Package we take them, on Virgin we will always pre-pay our Bar Tab and have the bonus. Also unrelated, welcome to the world of cruising, and we hope you loved your first cruise. Warning, they can be addictive :)
IMHO, the best thing about the bar tab is that it can be shared. With a beverage package, each person in a cabin must purchase the same package. This makes no financial sense if one person drinks and another doesn't or does only sparingly. On Virgin, you can place any amount you wish on the bar tab and it can be shared by anyone you designate by linking to their bracelet. You can also use it for things like wine pairings or bar crawl events, which are often not covered on drink packages. And on VV, the gratuity is included in the posted price for the drink, making the prices quite reasonable. If you get to the end of your cruise and still have money on your tab, you can use it to treat some of your newest friends or even buy a drink for an off duty crew member (they are allowed to socialize in guest areas and drink at guest bars, but the crew bar is a lot cheaper).
We completely agree, and we love the bar tab especially with the seablazer bonuses. It is as you said much more flexible, and it allows pre-budgeting, if you like to do that by paying up front, much like a drinks package. We think it is a great alternative. Now if VV did a Dr nks package too we would love to see their take on that but until then we have no problem at all with the bar tab. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
Another wonderful video. Thank you ! I'm a tried and true pre-paid beverage package gal. Not needing to calculate the cost of every sip on the voyage, makes it feel like a true holiday ! Cheers ! :)
Thank you. And we completely agree. The pre paid Bar Tab (plus the bonus bar tab credit offer at the moment) do go some way to that, but we do prefer a beverage package too. Maybe they'll launch one in the future if enough people ask for one. Having said that if you stay in a Mega RockStar suite you have a very large daily free bar tab :) We.might have to work the maths on that and see if it stacks up to upgrade rather than bar tab?
i am excited about the Test kitchen pairing. We are heading for a cruise in Dec. I am glad there isn't a massive gratuity bill at the end of the cruise. this was the first one that talked about the drink options...looks amazing
Thanks for the comment Sylvia. You will love Test Kitchen. We can’t wait to go on her sister ship in a few months to go to TK again. The cocktail pairing is fantastic but apparently this wine and beer pairings are brilliant too. Let us know which you end up trying. Have an amazing cruise. Linzi & Mark
I respectfully disagree, keep it just the way it is, I'd much rather have a strong pour over a sugared down "drink" anyday! Letting you stack your bill beforehand via the onboard credit and bar tab is a fantastic way to do it. Beverage packages IMO have always seemed to use the cheapest, weakest possible combination of whatever so that they can make that price they charge work. Nothing worse than having to get 2000 calories worth of drinks into you before you even get a buzz, and on holiday I expect and am willing to pay for a proper buzz. Another thing I think virgin gets right. Great video and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, lots of great information and I can't wait to sail on Scarlet Lady!
You are absolutely right on the strong pour David. The drinks on @virginvoyages do feel like grown up drinks. And as you said, not watered down or sugared up versions. Overall the drinks were amongst the best we've had at sea, only Celebrity, of the cruises we've done came close in our opinion, in terms of quality and variety. As you'd have gathered we did very much like the bar tab, and Beverage Packages have been getting worse value in a lot of cases in the past years. We saw RCL charge $85 a night for one of the recent UK seacations. Which make it very unlikely to get value. What we would like to see is Virgin do their unique take on a Beverage Package (we would love to see what that would be) for those that want it, the advanced bar tab for those who don't and pay as you go for everyone else. Regardless of the above we are very confident you will love Scarlet Lady, we've yet to speak to anyone who didn't although we are sure there are people out there because of how different she is to other cruise lines. And THANK YOU, for the lovely comments. We are still a new channel, finding our footing and style and your support and feedback in so appreciated. Linzi and Mark
I won’t go until it’s changed.. Is the bar tab ever going to change to drink packedge ?I don’t want to have to worry about how much money I have on a card on a all inclusive day to day
Don't let the "Bar Tab" stop you going on Virgin Voyages. In a lot of cases, they give you free bar tab as part of the offers. The way to consider it, and we've been on quite a few Virgin Voyages since we did the review of the Bar Tab, is paying for you drinks in advance (exactly like you do with a drinks package), and then they give you some bonus money too. We spend far less on a Virgin cruise with Bar Tab than we would with say P&O or Celebrity and taking their drinks packages. On our recent seven night cruise on VV, we had $950 bar tab, and that lasted us the whole cruise, that would be the same as buying a drinks package at $450 a person for 7 nights (so around $64 a night), which is much cheaper than the above.
Loved your pov on the drinks package, maybe having one in their own way would be nice. I’m curious to see how I’ll feel about the bar tab after the cruise , I tend to know what I like and don’t really consider much in drinking experimental. For me the bar tab may be great but I think the drawback is having to purchase in $300 increments. I know for a 6 night cruise my partner and I have $300 worth of drinks in us but $700 may be overboard. 😅 Will report with my findings. Thanks for the awesome video.
Thank you Chris, we are so happy you enjoyed the video. Maybe the way to go (given you can share the bar tabs so don't need one each) is to get one $300 one (plus the bonus they'll give you) and then pay as you go if you do get through it. Especially as the bar tabs are non-refundable if you had anything left. Have a great cruise and let us know how you got on. Linzi and Mark
My friend and I were planning to share a Bar Tab because it’s only a 4 night cruise (we’re both “light weights”). Are you saying that we both need to be present (not sitting at a table, but at the bar) in order for us to get 2 drinks?
Hi Laura, no that is one of the benefits of the bar tab over the packages. One person can order as many drinks as they want for as many people as they want and it comes off of your bar tab. On Beverages packages though. everyone has to be present. So you are both fine to share the Virgin Voyages Bar Tab.
A VERY good question Kevin. They are incrementally higher but not quite double. HOWEVER their measures are not exactly standard and tend to be very much on the generous side. This wasn’t just the odd member of the bar team but every member of the bar team. You see most (at least when we cruised) free pouring so I can honestly say we never asked for a double or large and we never saw anyone else ask for one either. Many of us commented on the ship how generous or strong they were. We are on their new ship in Mid March so we will take a very close look at this, purely for research purposes obviously, a report back on if anything has changed in this regard. Linzi & Mark
What do you think? Would you rather have an all-inclusive drinks package, that you pay more for, but know you are set? Or Virgins new approaching with a pre-paid Bar Tab (often with some big bonus credits, we got over 40%)? Do you try drinks you wouldn't normally when you are on an all-inclusive package? Let us know
@@pandorad3427 The main benefit for Bar Tab is really two fold. One it lets you pre-budget. Essentially you could put aside in advance bar money for the cruise at say $50 a day (like beverage package) and on a 5 night cruise that would give you a pre paid allowance of $250. But the main benefit right now is that Virgin Voyages are giving a bonus on top of anything you pay in advance on top of the pre paid tab. At the moment it is around 40%. For every $300 you put in the tab they’ll give you a further $125 . If you just pay at the end then you pay whatever your balance is and they don’t contribute anything towards it. Essentially it’s cruise credit but just for drinks. And yes. We defo prefer a beverage package. But this is better than just paying as you go. With the bonus, at least.
@@SuiteNatured Got it ! Thank you for the excellent tips. Do you know if they refund your BASE pre paid amount, if you do not use it all up by the end of the cruise ? Or does Virgin just put your "leftover money", into "their pockets" ?
@@pandorad3427 it’s a case of use the money or lose the money. To be fair they do tell you that when you go to put it on. We didn’t have any issue using the money. 😂 And currently the only way to put money on the bar tab Pre Cruise and get the bonus money is to ring Sailor Services. You can’t do it via the website or app. At least not at the time of writing this.
Hi Kelli, all non speciality hot drinks (teas, coffees, fruit teas and such) are included as are all sodas from the soda dispensers (you can see them in the Galley part of the Scarlet Lady Review, shameless plug, sorry). Still and sparkling water included throughout too and non premium Fruit juices as well. Hope this helps and thanks for watching our video. Linzi and Mark
Ha ha. You've really got to look at whether you can get the value or peace of mind for the increasingly significant costs of some of the beverage packages.
I did not quite grasp the full meaning before. So... (if I understand correctly), on the Scarlet Lady, all you can do is pay in advance, for drinks that you may end up not even wanting before the end of the cruise ? Nuts ! To me, I cannot see much of a benefit to that... other than possibly/maybe, a bonus discount. What advantage does it really give to one, to pay your tab for drinks in advance ~ or just pay near the end of the cruise ? They indeed make it VERY confusing. YES, they should definitely offer various drinks packages, lol. .
The main benefit for Bar Tab is really two fold. One it lets you pre-budget. Essentially you could put aside in advance bar money for the cruise at say $50 a day (like beverage package) and on a 5 night cruise that would give you a pre paid allowance of $250. But the main benefit right now is that Virgin Voyages are giving a bonus on top of anything you pay in advance on top of the pre paid tab. At the moment it is around 40%. For every $300 you put in the tab they’ll give you a further $125 . If you just pay at the end then you pay whatever your balance is and they don’t contribute anything towards it. Essentially it’s cruise credit but just for drinks. And yes. We defo prefer a beverage package. But this is better than just paying as you go. With the bonus, at least.
As a first time cruiser I thought the idea of a bar tab was brilliant. I paid $300 and got $425 of value.I was able to link mine and my wifes bracelets, so either of us could pay to access the bar tab and each night we checked exactly how much we'd spent and if it was spot on - it was (in fact we recalled after, that a round of drinks we'd bought hadn't been charged!). Personally I found this an easier option than a drinks package - at least I could make sure I spent what I purchased and once it was gone the remainder would be charged to my card- even drinks packages are priced so they hope that not everyone gets full value!
Hi Don, it really is personal choice with both offer options other than simply paying as you go. As many content creators have covered in many TH-cam videos, Beverage Packages, and now the Bar Tabs ultimate value depends on how much you use them. Of course, as we covered, they also allow pre-budgeting as well, and this is why outside of cruising, All Inclusive Holidays, and things such as Disney Dining Plan are so popular.
Do they work out cheaper, no not always, but you know what you've spent in advance. For us, that was one of the big pluses for getting the Bar Tab in advance on Virgin rather than simply paying a bill at the end of it (and you get the bonus credit too). It removes that potential anxiety around what you've spent, or thinking about it each time before getting that coffee or cocktail.
Ultimately it is all personal choice, and on a ship with a Beverage Package we take them, on Virgin we will always pre-pay our Bar Tab and have the bonus.
Also unrelated, welcome to the world of cruising, and we hope you loved your first cruise. Warning, they can be addictive :)
IMHO, the best thing about the bar tab is that it can be shared. With a beverage package, each person in a cabin must purchase the same package. This makes no financial sense if one person drinks and another doesn't or does only sparingly. On Virgin, you can place any amount you wish on the bar tab and it can be shared by anyone you designate by linking to their bracelet. You can also use it for things like wine pairings or bar crawl events, which are often not covered on drink packages. And on VV, the gratuity is included in the posted price for the drink, making the prices quite reasonable. If you get to the end of your cruise and still have money on your tab, you can use it to treat some of your newest friends or even buy a drink for an off duty crew member (they are allowed to socialize in guest areas and drink at guest bars, but the crew bar is a lot cheaper).
We completely agree, and we love the bar tab especially with the seablazer bonuses. It is as you said much more flexible, and it allows pre-budgeting, if you like to do that by paying up front, much like a drinks package. We think it is a great alternative. Now if VV did a Dr nks package too we would love to see their take on that but until then we have no problem at all with the bar tab. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
I must say..your accent makes our language sound lovely!
😂 Thank you. Us Northerners don't normally get those compliments.
Another wonderful video. Thank you ! I'm a tried and true pre-paid beverage package gal. Not needing to calculate the cost of every sip on the voyage, makes it feel like a true holiday ! Cheers ! :)
Thank you. And we completely agree. The pre paid Bar Tab (plus the bonus bar tab credit offer at the moment) do go some way to that, but we do prefer a beverage package too. Maybe they'll launch one in the future if enough people ask for one. Having said that if you stay in a Mega RockStar suite you have a very large daily free bar tab :)
We.might have to work the maths on that and see if it stacks up to upgrade rather than bar tab?
i am excited about the Test kitchen pairing. We are heading for a cruise in Dec. I am glad there isn't a massive gratuity bill at the end of the cruise. this was the first one that talked about the drink options...looks amazing
Thanks for the comment Sylvia. You will love Test Kitchen. We can’t wait to go on her sister ship in a few months to go to TK again. The cocktail pairing is fantastic but apparently this wine and beer pairings are brilliant too. Let us know which you end up trying. Have an amazing cruise. Linzi & Mark
I respectfully disagree, keep it just the way it is, I'd much rather have a strong pour over a sugared down "drink" anyday! Letting you stack your bill beforehand via the onboard credit and bar tab is a fantastic way to do it. Beverage packages IMO have always seemed to use the cheapest, weakest possible combination of whatever so that they can make that price they charge work. Nothing worse than having to get 2000 calories worth of drinks into you before you even get a buzz, and on holiday I expect and am willing to pay for a proper buzz. Another thing I think virgin gets right. Great video and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, lots of great information and I can't wait to sail on Scarlet Lady!
You are absolutely right on the strong pour David. The drinks on @virginvoyages do feel like grown up drinks. And as you said, not watered down or sugared up versions. Overall the drinks were amongst the best we've had at sea, only Celebrity, of the cruises we've done came close in our opinion, in terms of quality and variety.
As you'd have gathered we did very much like the bar tab, and Beverage Packages have been getting worse value in a lot of cases in the past years. We saw RCL charge $85 a night for one of the recent UK seacations. Which make it very unlikely to get value.
What we would like to see is Virgin do their unique take on a Beverage Package (we would love to see what that would be) for those that want it, the advanced bar tab for those who don't and pay as you go for everyone else.
Regardless of the above we are very confident you will love Scarlet Lady, we've yet to speak to anyone who didn't although we are sure there are people out there because of how different she is to other cruise lines.
And THANK YOU, for the lovely comments. We are still a new channel, finding our footing and style and your support and feedback in so appreciated. Linzi and Mark
I won’t go until it’s changed.. Is the bar tab ever going to change to drink packedge ?I don’t want to have to worry about how much money I have on a card on a all inclusive day to day
Don't let the "Bar Tab" stop you going on Virgin Voyages. In a lot of cases, they give you free bar tab as part of the offers. The way to consider it, and we've been on quite a few Virgin Voyages since we did the review of the Bar Tab, is paying for you drinks in advance (exactly like you do with a drinks package), and then they give you some bonus money too. We spend far less on a Virgin cruise with Bar Tab than we would with say P&O or Celebrity and taking their drinks packages. On our recent seven night cruise on VV, we had $950 bar tab, and that lasted us the whole cruise, that would be the same as buying a drinks package at $450 a person for 7 nights (so around $64 a night), which is much cheaper than the above.
Loved your pov on the drinks package, maybe having one in their own way would be nice. I’m curious to see how I’ll feel about the bar tab after the cruise , I tend to know what I like and don’t really consider much in drinking experimental. For me the bar tab may be great but I think the drawback is having to purchase in $300 increments. I know for a 6 night cruise my partner and I have $300 worth of drinks in us but $700 may be overboard. 😅 Will report with my findings. Thanks for the awesome video.
Thank you Chris, we are so happy you enjoyed the video.
Maybe the way to go (given you can share the bar tabs so don't need one each) is to get one $300 one (plus the bonus they'll give you) and then pay as you go if you do get through it. Especially as the bar tabs are non-refundable if you had anything left.
Have a great cruise and let us know how you got on. Linzi and Mark
My friend and I were planning to share a Bar Tab because it’s only a 4 night cruise (we’re both “light weights”). Are you saying that we both need to be present (not sitting at a table, but at the bar) in order for us to get 2 drinks?
Hi Laura, no that is one of the benefits of the bar tab over the packages. One person can order as many drinks as they want for as many people as they want and it comes off of your bar tab. On Beverages packages though. everyone has to be present. So you are both fine to share the Virgin Voyages Bar Tab.
@@SuiteNatured Thank you!
THe bar tab can be shared by anyone you choose by linking it to the bracelet. And no, only one person with the bracelet needs to be present to use it.
How do doubles work? Double the price of a single pour or some increment above the price of a single?
A VERY good question Kevin. They are incrementally higher but not quite double. HOWEVER their measures are not exactly standard and tend to be very much on the generous side. This wasn’t just the odd member of the bar team but every member of the bar team. You see most (at least when we cruised) free pouring so I can honestly say we never asked for a double or large and we never saw anyone else ask for one either. Many of us commented on the ship how generous or strong they were.
We are on their new ship in Mid March so we will take a very close look at this, purely for research purposes obviously, a report back on if anything has changed in this regard. Linzi & Mark
Thanks. Cheers, in the name of research!
Phrase for the day - ‘fuzzy buzz’.. 😉
You can't beat a fuzzy buzz🤣
What do you think? Would you rather have an all-inclusive drinks package, that you pay more for, but know you are set? Or Virgins new approaching with a pre-paid Bar Tab (often with some big bonus credits, we got over 40%)? Do you try drinks you wouldn't normally when you are on an all-inclusive package? Let us know
@@pandorad3427 The main benefit for Bar Tab is really two fold. One it lets you pre-budget. Essentially you could put aside in advance bar money for the cruise at say $50 a day (like beverage package) and on a 5 night cruise that would give you a pre paid allowance of $250. But the main benefit right now is that Virgin Voyages are giving a bonus on top of anything you pay in advance on top of the pre paid tab. At the moment it is around 40%. For every $300 you put in the tab they’ll give you a further $125 . If you just pay at the end then you pay whatever your balance is and they don’t contribute anything towards it. Essentially it’s cruise credit but just for drinks.
And yes. We defo prefer a beverage package. But this is better than just paying as you go. With the bonus, at least.
@@SuiteNatured Got it ! Thank you for the excellent tips. Do you know if they refund your BASE pre paid amount, if you do not use it all up by the end of the cruise ? Or does Virgin just put your "leftover money", into "their pockets" ?
@@pandorad3427 it’s a case of use the money or lose the money. To be fair they do tell you that when you go to put it on. We didn’t have any issue using the money. 😂
And currently the only way to put money on the bar tab Pre Cruise and get the bonus money is to ring Sailor Services. You can’t do it via the website or app. At least not at the time of writing this.
What drinks are included on the ship? Like are the coffees, fresh juices and sodas and tea's included in the ships pricing at no extra cost?
Hi Kelli, all non speciality hot drinks (teas, coffees, fruit teas and such) are included as are all sodas from the soda dispensers (you can see them in the Galley part of the Scarlet Lady Review, shameless plug, sorry). Still and sparkling water included throughout too and non premium Fruit juices as well.
Hope this helps and thanks for watching our video. Linzi and Mark
Trying to convince people that a Royal Caribbean drinks package is not a good idea is like try to convince Ronaldo not to dive in the penalty box.
Ha ha. You've really got to look at whether you can get the value or peace of mind for the increasingly significant costs of some of the beverage packages.
I did not quite grasp the full meaning before. So... (if I understand correctly), on the Scarlet Lady, all you can do is pay in advance, for drinks that you may end up not even wanting before the end of the cruise ? Nuts !
To me, I cannot see much of a benefit to that... other than possibly/maybe, a bonus discount.
What advantage does it really give to one, to pay your tab for drinks in advance ~ or just pay near the end of the cruise ? They indeed make it VERY confusing.
YES, they should definitely offer various drinks packages, lol.
.
The main benefit for Bar Tab is really two fold. One it lets you pre-budget. Essentially you could put aside in advance bar money for the cruise at say $50 a day (like beverage package) and on a 5 night cruise that would give you a pre paid allowance of $250. But the main benefit right now is that Virgin Voyages are giving a bonus on top of anything you pay in advance on top of the pre paid tab. At the moment it is around 40%. For every $300 you put in the tab they’ll give you a further $125 . If you just pay at the end then you pay whatever your balance is and they don’t contribute anything towards it. Essentially it’s cruise credit but just for drinks.
And yes. We defo prefer a beverage package. But this is better than just paying as you go. With the bonus, at least.