Grenadyr

@JLMoran , Good thought. I'll have to think about that. Ultimately it would be easier if it was a selectable option but I'm at the limit for usable fields with the level of calcapp I subscribe to. I might be able to rig something in the background calculations. As it stands it would probably be a blanket removal of the depreciation for coffee, juice, and water. That would be easily done without needing another field.

Here's the suggestions I've found while looking around online for room steward gifts in addition to cash... 1. Hard Liquor. (Yeah, I know...) Supposedly hard liquor can be difficult/costly for crew members to get as the crew bars stay with beer/wine. Anyway, something regional or different could be fun as a gift. (Assuming you get it onboard.) 2. Snack foods. I was thinking about regional foods again as you can buy doritos anywhere. 3. USB sticks loaded with music / movies. Crew internet access is limited and can be costly and supposedly there is great demand for electronic entertainment, especially if its tradeable. 4. Toiletries. Not sure about this one as people can be pretty picky about their deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc... 5. International prepaid calling cards. Not sure if this one is still relevant in the age of the interweb.

Try this to help you decide. Don't forget the package includes your premium coffees, fresh squeezed juice, and sodas. Btw, Kraken and Coke is the only correct answer. 🤣

Here's a handy calculator I made to help you figure out the dollar amount you may drink while on the cruise. You'll find it adds up fast when you include coffees, fresh squeezed juice, and sodas.

Black friday also seems to be a great time for Cruise Planner sales. So far the best I've seen for the Deluxe Beverage Package (DBP) is $49 pp/day, for the Refreshment package was $20 pp/day and the soda package at 8.99 pp/day. I"m not expecting to see anything better unless there's a particularly good sale on 4th of July or Labor Day.

I'm wondering RCI will offer to move people from later sailings, who are already authorized to visit Cuba, to earlier sailings to fill more ships.

Alright, Drinkcalc V.2 is ready for testing. The underlying math is identical but the interface is better due to it being through a different service. DrinkCalc V.2

Glad it was helpful. 🙂 DBP was a pretty easy choice for me as well. I may break even but its more about not seeing dollar signs every time I get a drink, and being able to relax instead. I thought about the the drink package selection and feel it strays too far away from "pure" math and would involve logic and decision making work. I'm just a geek / mechanic not a real programmer so its probably beyond my ability to do in a useful fashion. I have made a different version of the calculator via a different service that may be more streamlined, but have yet to deploy it.

I know how you feel. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or concerned that I should definitely get my monies worth buying the drink package.

The first one I can't do much about due the limitations in the service I'm using. I'll need to find a more flexible standalone website builder that I can work with. Maybe changing the input fields to the same style as the cruise length and port stays will make it easier to scroll. I noticed that scrolling on my phone would routinely screw up the values I entered on the drink sliders. The second one is done. I changed the default to 33 and allowed selection of any whole number value between 0 and 100.

I made a spreadsheet to calculate my break even point for getting the Deluxe Beverage Package on an upcoming cruise. It turned out to be pretty useful and I thought others might find it interesting. So... I made a site on Wix to host an online version of the calculator for anyone that might be interested. DrinkCalc DrinkCalc V.2 (Now prettier and hopefully easier to use.) I'm open to feedback to improve it as needed. Keep in mind the options for style are limited but I can tweak the math as much as I want.

Looks like 5 minutes away down A1A. Fwiw, we booked a mid-size from Orlando through National for our upcoming cruise in November and it came to $62 plus taxes. Also, looks like the toll situation for Florida is a bit complicated and potentially expensive when you pay through your car rental agency. They're offering a temporary toll pass that hangs from your mirror like a handicapped hanger that will charge your tolls directly to your own credit card. They're trying it out this summer and have people at the Orlando airport to get you setup. You can even hold onto it for your return trip to the airport if needed and just return it at the airport. Might be worth checking out. Visitor Toll Pass

The refreshment package also includes smoothies (approx $9/each) and milk shakes (approx $5/each). Add that to my daughter's recent discovery of mocktails and the refreshment package became a no brainer for me when it hit $20/day.

Fwiw, National is in the same building as Alamo and Enterprise. If your ship leaves from CT1 its a half mile walk from the terminal. If you're "lucky" enough to be leaving from another terminal you will need to take the shuttle. There is also a Race Trac gas station just outside the port where you can fill up before you drop off your return. And, If you need to rent a car when you get back the offices open at 7am most days.