Quick question deluxe drink package

[DaArsonist 8]

Quick question, how often does the drink price change for deluxe package. When I first booked last week it was 49 bucks a day and then today it is 52, not a big difference but in 7 days that’s an extra 21 bucks a person. Should I book it ASAP at this price or how often will it go up or go down. This is for an August sail date on liberty of the seas.

 

thanks

[DaArsonist 8]

I have never cruises before so wondering also, if I purchase now and the price goes down later will RC make a refund for the difference or could I cancel it and re purchase at the lower rate.

 

thanks

[JLMoran 4,917]

If you purchase and the price goes down, you are totally free to cancel your original purchase and then re-buy at the lower rate. A lot of us here have done that across multiple cruises.

The one caveat to this is if you bought the package yourself, while you got an exception for your cabin-mate because he/she doesn't or can't drink alcohol. In that case, just like you had to call Royal directly to get the exception, you'll have to call them again to cancel the purchase and re-buy for just yourself at the lower rate. A bit of a pain but worth it in the end.

[DaArsonist 8]

Thank you, that is great news think I will book then. What is the price range usually for the deluxe package through cruise planner. Does it shift quite a bit the closer I get.

[JohnK6404 728]

8 minutes ago, DaArsonist said:

I have never cruises before so wondering also, if I purchase now and the price goes down later will RC make a refund for the difference or could I cancel it and re purchase at the lower rate.

 

thanks

You can cancel and repurchase through the Cruise Planner. It only takes a couple of days to get your refund. They do not make adjustments to Cruise Planner items (unlike cruise fare adjustments).

[Mathew Jones 29]

I have cancelled and rebooked twice for my upcoming sailing on Liberty.  First bought at 52.  Then it went down to 47 on Black Friday.  Last week it went down again to 44.  Real easy.

[JLMoran 4,917]

10 hours ago, DaArsonist said:

Thank you, that is great news think I will book then. What is the price range usually for the deluxe package through cruise planner. Does it shift quite a bit the closer I get.

The price range varies depending on the ship, although it does seem that the "floor" has been creeping upward over the last year. Many here got the package on our 2018 sailings for as low as $42 pp pn on many of the ships (with the possible exception of Oasis class, where the floor was more like $45). But with the 2019 sailings so far, I haven't seen all that many posts of people getting it for less than $45 or so on any ship.

A going theory is that if the ship is not selling as many packages as they targeted and it's closer to sail date, that's when you'll start seeing more heavily-discounted sales and promos on the package come up. My Anthem sailing last October was stuck at over $50 per night until a month or two before final payment date, and then all of a sudden it dropped down to $42 per night. My current Anthem sailing for this coming October hasn't budged from $56 per night even once so far, even on Black Friday last year, but I'm still four months out from final payment.

If you definitely want the package, then don't wait for a specific price to show; just buy it when the price is acceptable to you, then keep an eye out for price drops you can take advantage of.

[Matt 8,203]

The drink package price will vary from ship to ship, and sailing to sailing. So what one person pays on their sailing really has no bearing on a different sailing.

As other said, your best bet is to book the drink package to lock in the price and then cancel and rebook if the price drops.

[WAAAYTOOO 6,943]

On our recent B2B on Anthem the price of the drinks package was different for each cruise so  there is just no way to predict what the price will be.  As a general rule, the prices of the drinks packages will be higher when there is a Federal holiday involved.

[klynch 0]

On 3/14/2019 at 8:08 AM, JLMoran said:

The price range varies depending on the ship, although it does seem that the "floor" has been creeping upward over the last year. Many here got the package on our 2018 sailings for as low as $42 pp pn on many of the ships (with the possible exception of Oasis class, where the floor was more like $45). But with the 2019 sailings so far, I haven't seen all that many posts of people getting it for less than $45 or so on any ship.

A going theory is that if the ship is not selling as many packages as they targeted and it's closer to sail date, that's when you'll start seeing more heavily-discounted sales and promos on the package come up. My Anthem sailing last October was stuck at over $50 per night until a month or two before final payment date, and then all of a sudden it dropped down to $42 per night. My current Anthem sailing for this coming October hasn't budged from $56 per night even once so far, even on Black Friday last year, but I'm still four months out from final payment.

If you definitely want the package, then don't wait for a specific price to show; just buy it when the price is acceptable to you, then keep an eye out for price drops you can take advantage of.

We recently booked the anthem in October also.  Haven't seen the price below $56 a day.  Anyone else see lower? It seems like $660 for 2 adults has been the lowest total regardless of whatever "sale price" they advertise.  

[tmp916 17]

22 minutes ago, klynch said:

We recently booked the anthem in October also.  Haven't seen the price below $56 a day.  Anyone else see lower? It seems like $660 for 2 adults has been the lowest total regardless of whatever "sale price" they advertise.  

I just paid $57 a day.  I think it's funny how they can advertise these Buy one get one half off price that is going on now for my cruise.  I saw it listed at $61 a day and thought that is great one at $61 and the other at 30 for 91 a day....nope price shown is for both....gotta love cruise math and the ever floating on-board pricing.

[PatsFanBrian 139]

Last weekend, I was able to get $48 for our cruise in 2 weeks on Serenade.  It was usually posted in a range of 51-60, so I jumped when I saw that price.