First-time cruisers confused over booze...help!

[ElleVancouver]

So my husband and I are in a quandary so please fellow boozers, wino's and lush's...help! (No, I have no shame.). We are going to be on the Allure for the Feb.28th eastern cruise. This is how we roll on regular vacations...one day we will cocktail it up, socialize and chill. The next day we don't want to drink, that's when we explore etc. The next day cocktail it up, next day no drinking...etc, etc. So WHAT do you suggest we do? Hubby can and does drink different types of libations, where I mostly stick to wine. If you were us what would you do? You can't break up the drink packages, they want you drinking everyday. Any ideas, or do we just pay drink by drink, which is going to be crazy expensive...and may end up turning us off cruises?

[WAAAYTOOO]

They actually do NOT want you drinking every day.  They hope that you will do exactly what you described above and basically drink every other day.  Pay for every day but use it only every other day !

 

As a general rule of thumb...if you can average 5 - 7 drinks each day over the course of your cruise, you will make out, financially.  Of course, it will also depend on which package you get...but they all seem to work out to the same, general average.  Some people just want the beverage package to relieve themselves of the worry of a monster bar bill at the end of the cruise...and some need to use their OBC for something so the beverage package will do as well as anything else.

 

More and more often I am hearing about the drink "punch cards" that they are experimenting with on various ships.  These cards, typically, will give you 10 drinks for around $75 (plus 18% gratuity), making it work out to $7.50/drink which is a fairly good price considering "full" price for a mixed cocktail is typically $12.  Of course, you will have no way of knowing whether your ship and sailing will offer these punch cards but my recommendation would be to wait until you get onboard to purchase any beverage package.  It isn't going to cost you any more to wait (unless the price goes up for the packages...which JUST happened, so it is unlikely to go up again so soon) and there is a chance that they will be offering some kind of discount/incentive or other option (punch cards, etc.) once you get onboard.

[monctonguy]

Get the select package for your self(wine and beer) and the premium package for him. If you both really do like your drinks, you will come out ahead at the end even if there are some days you drink very little based on my 8 cruises so far with the drink package.

 

Its so nice not to worry about where your bill is at, try new drinks, if the drink gets warm leave it and get another one.

 

While I am the exception to the rule, I get almost my whole package's value the 1st day on the boat. I am on early, enjoy the sail away party and then hit the various bars and clubs during the evening.

 

I didn't cruise until the drink packages came out as I was an "AI" type of guy and heard horror stories about bar bills more than the cost of the cruise.....

[Matt]

In your case, I would try to estimate how much you would drink on an "on day" and figure how much the cost of those drinks are a la carte and compare to the package.

 

I think you will better off a la carte because if any of those drinking days hits on a port day, you would likely save even more money drinking on shore. 

 

I guess what I am trying to say is you have to sit down and figure out the math of how much you think you would drink and see how close you are to the daily cost of the drink package.

[bcarney]

I think you will better off a la carte because if any of those drinking days hits on a port day, you would likely save even more money drinking on shore. 

 

This.  Almost every port has that little hole in the wall place with the cheap $2 beers and such..."Virgin's Haven" in St Thomas was one of those places, and it was right next to the ship when were on Jewel in April '15.  It was too hard to leave that place....

[Jerel]

Lots of good points raised. For me I find I'm better off without the package, I'd make it worth while some days but 7 days is a bit too much for me to make it worth having.

Matt's right, you need to do the math. Monctonguy is probably right too, wine and beer package for you with a coctail package for your husband, bases covered with no worries.

Bcarney raises a good point aswell, you can find cheap booze on land. You could make them your drinking days if you don't want to explore that much. If so I'd do some research on where to go, some places are expensive. Also agree with WAAAYTOOO, punch cards are ideal but no garentee they will have them.

Wait a minute, all I did was reiterate what everyone else said, oh well.

Funny how a drinking thread got 3 different Canadians talking :).

 

On a side note, many of us here are leaving on the Allure on the 21st, we'll be getting off as your getting on. Definitely make sure to keep the ship in good shape for you, best of luck.

[DocLC]

It sounds that buying the drinks individually will work best. Also keep in mind that you can bring on two bottles of wine per cabin and that there's no corkage fee, so that might reduce some of the expense for you.

[jticarruthers]

Like Jerel said, everyone else is wise and all knowing so I think all I would add is to sketch out what you think you might drink and compare to the cost.

 

On our last few cruises I have done the package about half the time and skipped it about half the time, don't think I made the wrong decision on any of them because I was comfortable with the plan.

 

7 night southern Caribbean with 5 port stops .. no package needed, in port almost every day, minimal drinking.

4 night western with 1 port stop and an alcoholic buddy ... package required, doing shots all the time, wife greatly amused at our antics.

7 night western with 4 port stops (1 Labadee) and a bunch of family along for the ride .... package required (did you not read, I said a bunch of family along!!) ... quit drinking by the last day or so but got my moneys worth out of the package anyway.

 

Upcoming 7 night southern again with 5 port stops ... pass, see above.

 

It really really depends on your plans. Do the math based on $6 a beer, $12 a drink, consider coffees/bottled water and see how it looks. If its close give it a shot, if you cant see anyway to make it work, skip it.

[monctonguy]

I guess port stops could have a bearing on it, as well as length of cruise. Every cruise I did up to my last one was only 4 nights with 1 or 2 stops and usually one of those stops was Coco Cay where your drink package worked.

 

My April cruise is a 7 day with 6 port's so it will be interesting to see how that works out.

 

That being said....I can't ever see myself NOT having 5 drinks in a day(which is about the break even point along with some pop and water throughout the day).

 

Cpl beers once back on the boat...cpl glasses of wine at supper......shot of bailey's in my coffee after supper......that's 5 drinks and I still have 4-5 hours ahead of me for the evening on the ship!

[DocLC]

I guess port stops could have a bearing on it, as well as length of cruise. Every cruise I did up to my last one was only 4 nights with 1 or 2 stops and usually one of those stops was Coco Cay where your drink package worked.

 

My April cruise is a 7 day with 6 port's so it will be interesting to see how that works out.

 

That being said....I can't ever see myself NOT having 5 drinks in a day(which is about the break even point along with some pop and water throughout the day).

 

Cpl beers once back on the boat...cpl glasses of wine at supper......shot of bailey's in my coffee after supper......that's 5 drinks and I still have 4-5 hours ahead of me for the evening on the ship!

It's not that hard to get value out of any of the packages, although as others have said you need to evaluate yourself and your sailing. I don't drink a lot of alcohol, but I do like specialty coffees and frozen cocktails from time to time. The Royal Replenish packages works well for me. On some sailings, it has really paid off; on others, less so but the convenience of the package and not worrying about single drink charges made it worth it.

 

We're doing a 13 night Baltic cruise with 12 port days in July. In this instance, I'll likely skip any of the packages as we'll be off the ship so much. I may opt for the soda package, but only if I can't find I in port and bring it on with me.

[Mike_]

Elle,

 

I have found personally that I do not beat the cruise ships on drink packages.  The package for two can cost me $800 for two people, and I usually end up spending under $500 on a 7-8 day cruise, and that's with $1 tip for each drink.

 

If the cruise is port intensive, more than 3 in a 7-8 day cruise, I loose.  I end up on an excursion, walking around town, drinking some in town, etc.  If your not on the ship you are not drinking for free; except in Labadee where your drink package is extended to the island.

 

I prefer better beers or foreign types, and they are cheaper than domestic on cruise ships.  Guineess is $4 vs Bid light is $6.50.

 

My wife drinks less than me, so you used to have to get the package for everyone in the stateroom; I don't think this is the case anymore.  If it is, you loose.

 

I just did a cruise with unlimited drink packages, and after three-four days of drink I was exhausted and had to take a liver nap. If my liver is napping, I loose.

 

It's also hard to drink a lot of the fruity or creamier drinks, too filling.  They are the more expensive drinks.  e.g. $12+.   

 

Once on a RCL cruise I was able to buy five Coronas and a cooler full of ice with a bottle opener for $25.  They brought the whole thing to me with a cup of limes.  However, if you had the drink package they would only bring one beer at a time.  So that is a pain as well.

 

The good thing is you can have a mimosa for breakfast, wine at dinner, etc. and know ahead of time what your total costs are.  However, there is always a special drink each day that is discounted, etc.  so there are ways of saving and making your booze dollar go further. 

 

My first two cruises I paid cash, and beat the packages.  The last cruise it was included as an incentive, I drank a lot, but I still don't think I beat them; I might have broke even.

 

Good luck.

 

Mike_

[DocLC]

I should add that on some ship they are offering a drink card for $69 for 10 drinks; this may be another option to consider if it is offered on yours and covers drinks up to $12.

[Matt]

It sounds that buying the drinks individually will work best. Also keep in mind that you can bring on two bottles of wine per cabin and that there's no corkage fee, so that might reduce some of the expense for you.

 

Great point.  This saves me a lot of money.

I should add that on some ship they are offering a drink card for $69 for 10 drinks; this may be another option to consider if it is offered on yours and covers drinks up to $12.

While you are correct, I would not bet on this being an option available on any sailing.