Jae B Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 Husband and I go on the first cruise this June 2019 on Enchantment of the Seas out of Galveston. We booked thru Costco so we don't have the benefits of a travel agent. We have so many questions. 1. Is purchasing a drink package worth it if you don't drink alcohol much? 2. How do you go about making a dinner reservation BEFORE you board the ship? 3. Is there a website we can check out that explains how to make your cruise experience more memorable and how not to give it away to people we are newbies at this? thanks everyone!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 You will find a wealth of knowledge on this site! I found this blog 4 years ago before my very first cruise and love it. I can't tell you how great everyone is and no question is too dumb!! Listen to old podcasts, look at old cruise compasses and ask away!!! In terms of specific questions: the drink PKG is great if you will drink enough coffee drinks (not just regular coffee which is free), alcohol and bottled water. Think about your consumption. In addition, many of us like to prepay the drink PKG so you don't have that nasty bill at the end of your cruise. Look for sales in the cruise planner and purcgase it ahead of time for best price which leads to 2.. Go on the rc website, start an acct, link your travel number and explore the cruise planner. It is where you can make reservations, buy excursions etc. Almost everything including internet (voom) etc is cheaper if you pre-purchase! Be warned... Rc doesn't do well tech wise and their website is often glitchy! Again... For 3 look here as well as cruise habit.com. also Matt has a specific podcast here about getting to know more about your ship ahead of time and lists several websites!!! My first cruise was on a smaller vision class ship...vision (enchantment was stretched out) and we loved it. Make sure you look at deck plans beforehand and know what to expect. There aren't any ice rinks, bumper cars etc. But it is a great class of ship to relax and enjoy! Welcome! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickinSTL Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 Being a newbie is half the fun.. You'll find people more than willing to help you in every step of the process.. My wife and I have only been on two cruises and I'm constantly searching out information on these boards and other sites as well.. I'd suggest a youtube search of your ship just to get a little familiar with it before you leave.. As far as drink packages its like this... If you're going to have 5 or more alcoholic drinks a day then buy it.. I've always gotten my moneys worth lol Hoski 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae B Posted February 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 Thanks Rickin.....dumb question...is the drink package ONLY for alcohol or does it also include soda and water or juice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 12 minutes ago, Jae B said: Thanks Rickin.....dumb question...is the drink package ONLY for alcohol or does it also include soda and water or juice? Deluxe drink package is everything up to a limit of $12 ($13 on O class ships), alcohol, specialty coffee's (Not Starbucks, may be wrong on this), fresh OJ, soda, there are limits on wine but I don't know them. A lot of people, especially on sea days will order a drink and 1-2 bottles of water. Next level is Refreshment package, basically everything except Alcohol. (This is what I get, I get 3 free drinks for Diamond and the Diamond lounge) The the Soda package Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogalthorpe Haywood Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 16 minutes ago, Jae B said: Thanks Rickin.....dumb question...is the drink package ONLY for alcohol or does it also include soda and water or juice? RC has 3 drink packages soda, refreshment (which is pretty much except alcohol) and the deluxe package which covers everything up to I think $13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 You can look at previous cruise compasses (link on top) to see daily activities for past cruises to give you an idea of what you may want to do. Here is a link for a 3 day which I'm not sure if the same as your cruise https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/enchantment-of-the-seas/mon-2018-12-03-0000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 The Deluxe Drink Package now includes canned sodas. In the past, it did not. For me, that alone makes the DDP worth the money. You also get fresh squeezed juices (the "free" stuff is made from concentrate), bottled water (still and sparkling), beer, wine, alcohol (up to the cost threshold which is either $12 or $13 depending on the ship), all coffee products (Starbucks kiosk coffee not included), smoothies (where available)...just about any kind of beverage on the ship. The only real exceptions are high end wines and liquors. Neither Dan nor I drink much alcohol, really...and we always get the DDP. As Mom2mybugs said, it is often about convenience as much as it is about cost. When you have prepaid the DDP, you will never have to worry about getting a surprise bill at the end of the cruise and you can get whatever you want, whenever you want it. This includes drinks with dinner, drinks in the bar, drinks in the theaters, drinks at the pool....everything. If you are going to get the DDP, purchase it BEFORE you cruise. It is always, always, always more expensive once you are on the ship. Well....if you are D+ or Pinnacle Crown & Anchor members, there is an onboard discount but other than that....prepurchasing is always cheaper. SpeedNoodles and mom2mybugs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 2 hours ago, Jae B said: Husband and I go on the first cruise this June 2019 on Enchantment of the Seas out of Galveston. We booked thru Costco so we don't have the benefits of a travel agent. We have so many questions. 1. Is purchasing a drink package worth it if you don't drink alcohol much? 2. How do you go about making a dinner reservation BEFORE you board the ship? 3. Is there a website we can check out that explains how to make your cruise experience more memorable and how not to give it away to people we are newbies at this? thanks everyone!!! If this is your first cruise, have a look at a very comprehensive blog post by @Matt https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/getting-started Here is another post about which drink package is best suited for you: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-drink-package https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/08/13/royal-caribbean-drink-package-right-you And welcome to the message boards! Matt, JLMoran and mom2mybugs 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mworkman Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 One thing that isn't mentioned yet, you can bring 2 bottles of wine 750ml with you. Just pack it in your carry on bag before you board the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 Hi @Jae B, welcome to the message boards! You've gotten a lot of good advice (and links!) from the others here. I always like to give an example day that illustrates how you don't have to be a heavy drinker to still come out fine with the Deluxe Beverage Package. Since you're on Enchantment, the max covered per beverage is $12: Fresh-squeezed OJ at breakfast -- ~$4.00 Two cappuccinos, lattes, or other espresso beverages; one with / right after breakfast, another in the afternoon -- ~$10.00 A glass of wine with dinner -- $12+ (you'll be charged for however much over $12 the glass costs, plus 18% gratuity on the overage) An after dinner alcoholic beverage (second glass of wine, coffee with some spirit added, glass of Baileys on the rocks, cocktail, etc.) -- $12+ Just from this very light daily use, you're already spending $34 a day. If you decide to have some kind of cocktail during sail away each day on top of this, or maybe enjoy a drink while watching one of the production shows each night, you're already at the typical discounted price for the DDP. Are three alcoholic drinks a day too many for you? Well, if you drink a lot of water you can get 4 bottled waters for $8 each day and be in the ballpark. You'll at least be close to break-even as long as you got the package on a good discount (no more than $45 per night), and then it's really that convenience factor mentioned by @WAAAYTOOO. If you think that even getting 2-3 alcoholic drinks a night is going to be a stretch, then I'd say get the Refreshment package so your non-alcoholic drinks are covered at a much lower cost. Then buy any alcoholic beverages you want a la carte, and simply pay the bill at the end of your cruise. mom2mybugs and SpeedNoodles 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 On 2/2/2019 at 12:09 PM, Jae B said: 1. Is purchasing a drink package worth it if you don't drink alcohol much? Nope. Pay for drinks as you go. If you aren't going to drink 5-6 alcoholic drinks every day, a drink package probably makes little financial sense to buy. On 2/2/2019 at 12:09 PM, Jae B said: 2. How do you go about making a dinner reservation BEFORE you board the ship? If you booked My Time Dining, you can pre-book via the Cruise Planner site on Royal Caribbean's site. If you have traditional dining, there's nothing you have to do. On 2/2/2019 at 12:09 PM, Jae B said: 3. Is there a website we can check out that explains how to make your cruise experience more memorable and how not to give it away to people we are newbies at this? I definitely recommend the Getting Started section of this site, but here are a few other videos that I think you will find helpful: RickinSTL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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