jopibaconpants

I love me some porters and stouts. I hope you've tried Breckenridge Vanilla Porter, it is amazing. If only they have my New Holland Dragon's Milk Stout, I would be set for the cruise.  :lol:

Thanks Matt. I figured that would be the case. But hey, I'd be putting my best Jim Carrey face and say there's a chance.

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

I broke down and booked the inaugural cruise on Symphony for 21 April 2018.  Gotta fly to Barcelona for it but hey - It's a Cruise!
 
When I try to go into the "My Cruises", Symphony isn't even listed so I cannot yet add my reservation to get a countdown.  Google tells me that I have 404 days to wait.
 
Excited is not the word for it.

I'm going on my first ever cruise next month, and I'm super excited! One of the struggles I had was deciding if I should get the deluxe drink package. For awhile I thought it wouldn't be worth it, but after listening in the podcasts, I ultimately decided to YOLO book it, and here are reasons why!
 
25% off was enticing. I got the package for about $44 a night, and seeing how each drink is about $12, I don' think it would be difficult to drink that much throughout a day. We booked a 5 night specialty dining package, so it's great that you can use it at the restaurants. I'm sure I'd want to try out all their featured drinks without having to worry about paying after. Speaking of trying drinks, it gives me the opportunity to really find my "go to drink at a Royal Caribbean cruise" just in case Matt wants me to be a guest in his podcast *ahem ahem I don't have to worry about buying too much drinks when I get in that happy state of mind lol. I originally wanted to bring two bottles of champagne and order fresh squeezed juice in the morning to enjoy at the balcony for some makeshift mimosas. But I don't have to worry about that anymore. I planned on bringing water bottles to the cruise, but since they give free bottles with the package, my luggage will be so much lighter! I am a heavy consumer of tea and orange juice. If each one is about $3-$5, I may not even need to drink alcohol to make the package worth it. Most importantly, I'm on vacation! Purchasing the package will make it feel more "all inclusive" without having to worry about going over board on spending. 

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

I unfortunately have to cancel this itinerary...
 
Because I'm joining Matt for the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS for getting my schedule worked out.  :lol:

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

I unfortunately have to cancel this itinerary...
 
Because I'm joining Matt for the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS for getting my schedule worked out.  :lol:

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

I really like not running up a mega bill at the end of the cruise. For this purpose, prepaying is a great option for me.

Yes, I am targeting an Alaska GC in June 2018. Those itineraries should be released next week, and then I hope to be able to pick a sailing quickly to set it up.

Even though we have been on a good number of cruises, we purchased for the first time the deluxe beverage package for our spring break cruise that leaves in 9 days!!!!!!!  I thought that 45 dollars a day which includes the 18% gratuity was a good deal.  Let the beverages start to flow the minute I step on board. LOL

Being a first time cruiser myself, I chose the dining and drink packages for the same reason as DocLC. Having everything pre-paid and "included" seems to be a good way to just sit back and relax, without having to be worried about the costs.

It sounds like the drink package will be a good investment for you

I think you made a smart choice. One of the main reasons I get the package is paying for it up front just makes it feel like it's part of the cruise payment. I've gotten quit the shock when seeing the bill at the end of the week. Those drinks can really add up.

Good decision.  But don't put that much thought into it next time..  Remember, you're on vacation...

I'm going on my first ever cruise next month, and I'm super excited! One of the struggles I had was deciding if I should get the deluxe drink package. For awhile I thought it wouldn't be worth it, but after listening in the podcasts, I ultimately decided to YOLO book it, and here are reasons why!
 
25% off was enticing. I got the package for about $44 a night, and seeing how each drink is about $12, I don' think it would be difficult to drink that much throughout a day. We booked a 5 night specialty dining package, so it's great that you can use it at the restaurants. I'm sure I'd want to try out all their featured drinks without having to worry about paying after. Speaking of trying drinks, it gives me the opportunity to really find my "go to drink at a Royal Caribbean cruise" just in case Matt wants me to be a guest in his podcast *ahem ahem I don't have to worry about buying too much drinks when I get in that happy state of mind lol. I originally wanted to bring two bottles of champagne and order fresh squeezed juice in the morning to enjoy at the balcony for some makeshift mimosas. But I don't have to worry about that anymore. I planned on bringing water bottles to the cruise, but since they give free bottles with the package, my luggage will be so much lighter! I am a heavy consumer of tea and orange juice. If each one is about $3-$5, I may not even need to drink alcohol to make the package worth it. Most importantly, I'm on vacation! Purchasing the package will make it feel more "all inclusive" without having to worry about going over board on spending. 

I'm going on my first ever cruise next month, and I'm super excited! One of the struggles I had was deciding if I should get the deluxe drink package. For awhile I thought it wouldn't be worth it, but after listening in the podcasts, I ultimately decided to YOLO book it, and here are reasons why!
 
25% off was enticing. I got the package for about $44 a night, and seeing how each drink is about $12, I don' think it would be difficult to drink that much throughout a day. We booked a 5 night specialty dining package, so it's great that you can use it at the restaurants. I'm sure I'd want to try out all their featured drinks without having to worry about paying after. Speaking of trying drinks, it gives me the opportunity to really find my "go to drink at a Royal Caribbean cruise" just in case Matt wants me to be a guest in his podcast *ahem ahem I don't have to worry about buying too much drinks when I get in that happy state of mind lol. I originally wanted to bring two bottles of champagne and order fresh squeezed juice in the morning to enjoy at the balcony for some makeshift mimosas. But I don't have to worry about that anymore. I planned on bringing water bottles to the cruise, but since they give free bottles with the package, my luggage will be so much lighter! I am a heavy consumer of tea and orange juice. If each one is about $3-$5, I may not even need to drink alcohol to make the package worth it. Most importantly, I'm on vacation! Purchasing the package will make it feel more "all inclusive" without having to worry about going over board on spending. 

I'm going on my first ever cruise next month, and I'm super excited! One of the struggles I had was deciding if I should get the deluxe drink package. For awhile I thought it wouldn't be worth it, but after listening in the podcasts, I ultimately decided to YOLO book it, and here are reasons why!
 
25% off was enticing. I got the package for about $44 a night, and seeing how each drink is about $12, I don' think it would be difficult to drink that much throughout a day. We booked a 5 night specialty dining package, so it's great that you can use it at the restaurants. I'm sure I'd want to try out all their featured drinks without having to worry about paying after. Speaking of trying drinks, it gives me the opportunity to really find my "go to drink at a Royal Caribbean cruise" just in case Matt wants me to be a guest in his podcast *ahem ahem I don't have to worry about buying too much drinks when I get in that happy state of mind lol. I originally wanted to bring two bottles of champagne and order fresh squeezed juice in the morning to enjoy at the balcony for some makeshift mimosas. But I don't have to worry about that anymore. I planned on bringing water bottles to the cruise, but since they give free bottles with the package, my luggage will be so much lighter! I am a heavy consumer of tea and orange juice. If each one is about $3-$5, I may not even need to drink alcohol to make the package worth it. Most importantly, I'm on vacation! Purchasing the package will make it feel more "all inclusive" without having to worry about going over board on spending.