Symphony of the Seas Deluxe Drink Package?

[VillainsGin]

I'll be taking my very first cruise ever on Symphony of the Seas 7 days on Jan, 2020.

I'm still getting use to all guides and tips on youtube/google. I've also been very vigilant on the cruise planner feature on royal caribbean website.

My 2 questions below:

What is the cheapest deluxe drink package you have ever purchased on specifically symphony of the seas? (I'm trying to grab an average so I know when to pull the trigger and buy)

 

When is the best time to buy the deluxe drink package? I know we'll be going over labor day, thanksgiving, christmas, and new years. So i'm hoping one of those holidays will have a great sale for the DDP. (the only problem is I don't know the lowest and highest DDP has been sold for)

 

Thank you all in advance for answering my questions!

[cobra614]

My first cruise ever was on Symphony,  I bought the deluxe beverage package for 49pp, saw it go as low as 47pp for that sailing. This was for July 27th thru August 3rd.

[VillainsGin]

3 minutes ago, cobra614 said:

My first cruise ever was on Symphony,  I bought the deluxe beverage package for 49pp, saw it go as low as 47pp for that sailing. This was for July 27th thru August 3rd.

Thanks for replying cobra614, the information is greatly appreciated!

Thats so cheap!!! it's currently $61/pppd on the cruise planner 

[cobra614]

8 hours ago, TJ! said:

Thanks for replying cobra614, the information is greatly appreciated!

Thats so cheap!!! it's currently $61/pppd on the cruise planner 

If you know for sure you want it, go ahead and buy it.  If the price drops you can just cancel and rebuy.  That's what I did, originally bought it for 52 or 55, can't remember which,  then when it dropped I called and rebought it. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

I was on the same sailing as @cobra614 and same, the lowest it fell to was $47pp/day.  My advice is buy it as soon as you can and watch prices.  If it drops, you can re-price up to 2 days before sailing.  If you don't buy it now, you run the risk of the price going up even higher.  In the past, Black Friday usually nets the biggest savings.

[Matt]

9 hours ago, TJ! said:

When is the best time to buy the deluxe drink package?

As soon as you know you want it. The best strategy for pre-cruise purchases is buy it early and track it for price changes. If there is a price drop, cancel and rebook it. 

[AshleyDillo]

They just upped the drink packages across the board, so the lower prices that folks have experienced in the past may not be obtainable.  If you are comfortable paying the price that it is currently, just go ahead and book it to lock in the price.  It's simply to cancel and repurchase if the price drops.

I will say that my Allure sailing next weekend is at $55 right now.  Before the overall price increases it hadn't been more than $52 a day and had gotten as low as $49.

[VillainsGin]

4 hours ago, cobra614 said:

If you know for sure you want it, go ahead and buy it.  If the price drops you can just cancel and rebuy.  That's what I did, originally bought it for 52 or 55, can't remember which,  then when it dropped I called and rebought it. 

How does cancellation work in terms of using a linked credit card. I've usually hate cancellations because of the hassle and the processing work days for the refund to return?

Is it fairly simple?

[cobra614]

See Matt's post above. 

[VillainsGin]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

As soon as you know you want it. The best strategy for pre-cruise purchases is buy it early and track it for price changes. If there is a price drop, cancel and rebook it. 

Thank you Matt for that guide! This was exactly what I needed since I dont cancel anything often once I purchased it in fear of the hassle and waiting of funds to return back into my account.

[VillainsGin]

3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I was on the same sailing as @cobra614 and same, the lowest it fell to was $47pp/day.  My advice is buy it as soon as you can and watch prices.  If it drops, you can re-price up to 2 days before sailing.  If you don't buy it now, you run the risk of the price going up even higher.  In the past, Black Friday usually nets the biggest savings.

So since i haven't purchased my ddp yet I might as well wait for black friday sale? At worst if there was no sale I could just purchase it anyways to lock in the price? That was I can at least save the cancellation until after black friday.

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, TJ! said:

So since i haven't purchased my ddp yet I might as well wait for black friday sale? At worst if there was no sale I could just purchase it anyways to lock in the price? That was I can at least save the cancellation until after black friday.

Personally, I would not wait for Black Friday.  There is no guarantee what the price will be at that time.  I personally would purchase it as soon as I am able to and then just re-price it at Black Friday if it is lower.

[VillainsGin]

19 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Personally, I would not wait for Black Friday.  There is no guarantee what the price will be at that time.  I personally would purchase it as soon as I am able to and then just re-price it at Black Friday if it is lower.

You're right it doesn't hurt to just lock down the price now and cancel later. I'll be booking the ddp as soon as I get back from the office!

Thanks for taking your time to help me out!

[Matt]

21 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Personally, I would not wait for Black Friday.  There is no guarantee what the price will be at that time.  I personally would purchase it as soon as I am able to and then just re-price it at Black Friday if it is lower.

I agree 100%

[GatorCruiser]

My wife and I are going on symphony in November and recently got it for $46pp per day. After we initially purchased it , we stalked the sales in the cruise planner as I believe we first purchased it at like 56pp

[cobra614]

I already posted my past experience on Symphony above.  That being said, my next booked cruise is on Harmony next May,  the DBP right now is $65pp. I can't justify locking in that price which is including gratuities is over $1070. We also made prime in the casino which means our drinks are free for the both of us, but in the casino only 

 

Now I do like the freedom that the DBP allowed us, at this point I can't justify that price. I paid just over $800 instead of $1070 for the same thing. So I will keep checking the cruise planner for a sale. I keep seeing mention of a black Friday sale. Holding out for that.

Worst case scenario,  drinks for the wifey and I are free in the casino,  and pay as you go elsewhere. 

Edited August 20, 2019 by cobra614
Fat finger syndrome

[VillainsGin]

42 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

My wife and I are going on symphony in November and recently got it for $46pp per day. After we initially purchased it , we stalked the sales in the cruise planner as I believe we first purchased it at like 56pp

jeez that's a huge score on the ddp sale, fingers crossed it will ever go that low for symphony of the seas haha.

Staying  vigilant is key.

[VillainsGin]

8 minutes ago, cobra614 said:

I already posted my past experience on Symphony above.  That being said, my next booked cruise is on Harmony next May,  the DBP right now is $65pp. I can't justify locking in that price which is including gratuities is over $1070. We also made prime in the casino which means our drinks are free for the both of us, but in the casino only 

 

Now I do like the freedom that the DBP allowed us, at this point I can't justify that price. I paid just over $800 instead of $1070 for the same thing. So I will keep checking the cruise planner for a sale. I keep seeing mention of a black Friday sale. Holding out for that.

Worst case scenario,  drinks for the wifey and I are free in the casino,  and pay as you go elsewhere. 

I'm glad you brought up the casino part of the cruise! I've been to Vegas hundreds of times and know how that operates but for the cruise I had questions as well.

Since most things will be linked to my credit card would I also use the CC to gamble with or do they require me to bring some cold hard cash?

If CC is acceptable for the casino what method does the slot machines take for payment, most takes cash but I assume you can swipe your card or something of that nature?

for tables and poker tournaments how would that work too?

I guess the question would be can i use my CC to gamble in all aspect of the casino.

If not, do we just bring cash?

[cobra614]

4 minutes ago, TJ! said:

I'm glad you brought up the casino part of the cruise! I've been to Vegas hundreds of times and know how that operates but for the cruise I had questions as well.

Since most things will be linked to my credit card would I also use the CC to gamble with or do they require me to bring some cold hard cash?

If CC is acceptable for the casino what method does the slot machines take for payment, most takes cash but I assume you can swipe your card or something of that nature?

for tables and poker tournaments how would that work too?

I guess the question would be can i use my CC to gamble in all aspect of the casino.

If not, do we just bring cash?

First off, my past cruise was our first cruise,  so we just brought cash.

Now that I have researched it, I see that you can "download"  credits onto a slot machine and it will be debited to your sea pass account.

 

What my question is, does your credit card treat that like a regular charge, or a cash advance, with the highercash advance  rate. As opposed to just a regular purchase?

[VillainsGin]

1 minute ago, cobra614 said:

First off, my past cruise was our first cruise,  so we just brought cash.

Now that I have researched it, I see that you can "download"  credits onto a slot machine and it will be debited to your sea pass account.

 

What my question is, does your credit card treat that like a regular charge, or a cash advance, with the highercash advance  rate. As opposed to just a regular purchase?

That's a good question that I would like to know as well.

Hopefully someone who is more knowledgeable regarding the casino can answer all of these for us haha.

[Atlantix2000]

If you are playing slots, you just put your Sea Pass card into the machine.  What you lose/win will be added/subtracted from your bill at the end of the cruise.

For table games, it's cheapest to buy chips with cash.  Otherwise, you charge your Sea Pass at the casino cage (is that the right term?) which incurs a fee (5%?) unless you have high enough status in Crown and Anchor or the casino program.  Either way, your credit card won't see a charge until the end of the cruise.

[VillainsGin]

5 minutes ago, Atlantix2000 said:

If you are playing slots, you just put your Sea Pass card into the machine.  What you lose/win will be added/subtracted from your bill at the end of the cruise.

For table games, it's cheapest to buy chips with cash.  Otherwise, you charge your Sea Pass at the casino cage (is that the right term?) which incurs a fee (5%?) unless you have high enough status in Crown and Anchor or the casino program.  Either way, your credit card won't see a charge until the end of the cruise.

Thanks! That answers my question, looks like im bringing cash!

Since I'm not too keen on slot machines im mainly sticking to tables and poker tournaments.

I wonder how much is the poker tournaments 

[GatorCruiser]

1 hour ago, TJ! said:

jeez that's a huge score on the ddp sale, fingers crossed it will ever go that low for symphony of the seas haha.

Staying  vigilant is key.

You can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to more than break even on the deal on my cruise.

[cobra614]

48 minutes ago, TJ! said:

Thanks! That answers my question, looks like im bringing cash!

Since I'm not too keen on slot machines im mainly sticking to tables and poker tournaments.

I wonder how much is the poker tournaments 

If you gamble regularly (since you mentioned being to LV a hundred times or so), you might make prime status during your first cruise. We live on the east coast, so if we are lucky we go out to LV twice  a year. That being said we are fully comped at the golden nugget (love that place, old Vegas FTW), and we made prime by our last night in the cruise.  If you gamble enough you could make prime early on your cruise and enjoy free drinks for the remainder from what I've read. 

A great resource I've found is a Facebook page dedicated to casino royale. Check it out.

 

BTW. I asked on there and they did confirm that a slot download for cash is treated like a purchase,  not a cash advance!!

[VillainsGin]

2 minutes ago, cobra614 said:

If you gamble regularly (since you mentioned being to LV a hundred times or so), you might make prime status during your first cruise. We live on the east coast, so if we are lucky we go out to LV twice  a year. That being said we are fully comped at the golden nugget (love that place, old Vegas FTW), and we made prime by our last night in the cruise.  If you gamble enough you could make prime early on your cruise and enjoy free drinks for the remainder from what I've read. 

A great resource I've found is a Facebook page dedicated to royael casino. Check it out.

 

BTW. I asked on there and they did confirm that a slot download for cash is treated like a purchase,  not a cash advance!!

If you don't mind me asking, how much or/and how long would you have to entertain the casino to make it to prime status.

about 90% of my stay at vegas has always been at the bellagio but I've been to the golden nugget before for ultimate texas holdem.

[WAAAYTOOO]

The casino is cash only. If you want to charge against your onboard account (Sea Pass) you can do that either at the cashiers cage or at a table but unless you are at least a Prime level VIP player with Club Royale (their casino rewards program) you will be charge a 5% “convenience fee”.  I think there are some provisions for MLife players too but I don’t know those rules.  I believe that all has to be prearranged prior to boarding.

There is no such thing as putting your Sea Pass card into a slot machine and getting credit to play.  Carnival does that (or used to) but Royal Caribbean does not.

Bottom line....if you are new to a Royale Caribbean, bring cash to play in the casino.

[VillainsGin]

1 minute ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

The casino is cash only. If you want to charge against your onboard account (Sea Pass) you can do that either at the cashiers cage or at a table but unless you are at least a Prime level VIP player with Club Royale (their casino rewards program) you will be charge a 5% “convenience fee”.  I think there are some provisions for MLife players too but I don’t know those rules.  I believe that all has to be prearranged prior to boarding.

There is no such thing as putting your Sea Pass card into a slot machine and getting credit to play.  Carnival does that (or used to) but Royal Caribbean does not.

Bottom line....if you are new to a Royale Caribbean, bring cash to play in the casino.

Thanks for the heads up waaaytooo!

Although a bit uncomfortable bringing that amount of cash on-board I'll try to set it all up prior to sailing.

Going to look into their M life rewards/membership since I do have one and see where that plays into all of this.

[cobra614]

6 minutes ago, TJ! said:

If you don't mind me asking, how much or/and how long would you have to entertain the casino to make it to prime status.

about 90% of my stay at vegas has always been at the bellagio but I've been to the golden nugget before for ultimate texas holdem.

TJ!, please refer to Waytoo. He,(or she) is WAY more versed in this subject than I!!

[cobra614]

6 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

The casino is cash only. If you want to charge against your onboard account (Sea Pass) you can do that either at the cashiers cage or at a table but unless you are at least a Prime level VIP player with Club Royale (their casino rewards program) you will be charge a 5% “convenience fee”.  I think there are some provisions for MLife players too but I don’t know those rules.  I believe that all has to be prearranged prior to boarding.

There is no such thing as putting your Sea Pass card into a slot machine and getting credit to play.  Carnival does that (or used to) but Royal Caribbean does not.

Bottom line....if you are new to a Royale Caribbean, bring cash to play in the casino.

I thought that I saw an option to take credits out as a room charge whenever I swiped my see pass card. I do remember talking to a fellow gambler that mentioned that her husband was upset on how much she kept "downloading "to their room account.  Like I said, we brought cash, so I never tried it. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

3 minutes ago, TJ! said:

Thanks for the heads up waaaytooo!

Although a bit uncomfortable bringing that amount of cash on-board I'll try to set it all up prior to sailing.

Going to look into their M life rewards/membership since I do have one and see where that plays into all of this.

I definitely recommend that you check with MLife ahead of time. It’s entirely possible that you could qualify for benefits that I am unaware of.  Also, if you are seriously interested in high stakes gambling, you can prearrange an onboard account (line of credit).  I’ve never considered doing this but I know it can be done.

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 minute ago, cobra614 said:

I thought that I saw an option to take credits out as a room charge whenever I swiped my see pass card. I do remember talking to a fellow gambler that mentioned that her husband was upset on how much she kept "downloading "to their room account.  Like I said, we brought cash, so I never tried it. 

No.  Not on Royal Caribbean. 

[cobra614]

3 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

No.  Not on Royal Caribbean. 

Out of respect I'll defer your experience, but I'm pretty sure I saw that on my recent sailing on Symphony. 

 

Either way, we are accustomed to bringing cash. Just thought there might be a credit card points exploit,  lol.

[Atlantix2000]

5 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

There is no such thing as putting your Sea Pass card into a slot machine and getting credit to play.  Carnival does that (or used to) but Royal Caribbean does not.

Whoops, sorry for the misinformation.  I thought I did that on my honeymoon but I must have used cash since I definitely didn't pay any fees.

[VillainsGin]

Cruise planner for symphony of the seas on Jan, 2020 has a buy one get one 50% off but the 50% is not applying when checking out?

 

They included the price which was 61usd pppd with 18% and there is a ribbon that says 25% each guest BUT its not applying?

 

Anyone else getting this or have encountered this problem?

[AshleyDillo]

8 hours ago, TJ! said:

They included the price which was 61usd pppd with 18% and there is a ribbon that says 25% each guest BUT its not applying?

The price shown is WITH the discount already.

[VillainsGin]

3 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

The price shown is WITH the discount already.

The price has been at 61usd prior to the BOGO 50% off. I just noticed the BOGO 50% ribbon last night added to that price but the price remained 61usd. I still didn't see how the math adds up could you elaborate their method of this is discounted?

[Atlantix2000]

11 minutes ago, TJ! said:

The price has been at 61usd prior to the BOGO 50% off. I just noticed the BOGO 50% ribbon last night added to that price but the price remained 61usd. I still didn't see how the math adds up could you elaborate their method of this is discounted?

Sale prices are always based on on-board prices which fluctuate and aren't published (since they will probably change often by the time the cruise actually sails).  Sales aren't always advertised either.  By tracking prices, you are in the very small percentage of people who pay attention.  Many (possibly even most) cruisers never even log into their cruise planner.  So they check it once, see what looks like a great deal and buy it.  You know it's the same price that was there last week.

So the standard advice is to ignore all advertising, buy when the price looks good, and then cancel and repurchase if you find a better price later.

[VillainsGin]

4 minutes ago, Atlantix2000 said:

Sale prices are always based on on-board prices which fluctuate and aren't published (since they will probably change often by the time the cruise actually sails).  Sales aren't always advertised either.  By tracking prices, you are in the very small percentage of people who pay attention.  Many (possibly even most) cruisers never even log into their cruise planner.  So they check it once, see what looks like a great deal and buy it.  You know it's the same price that was there last week.

So the standard advice is to ignore all advertising, buy when the price looks good, and then cancel and repurchase if you find a better price later.

WOW thanks for that information. It was driving me nuts I thought maybe the website glitched and was not applying the discount. Kind of sneaky to use "unpublished on-board" prices to justify the sale in my opinion. I've been tracking it every other day or so and logging it in for record keeping haha.

I'll keep an eye out for a good price and ignore all the advertisements, much appreciated!

[AshleyDillo]

Just now, TJ! said:

The price has been at 61usd prior to the BOGO 50% off. I just noticed the BOGO 50% ribbon last night added to that price but the price remained 61usd. I still didn't see how the math adds up could you elaborate their method of this is discounted?

@Atlantix2000 explained it..it really means nothing as the "original" price they are calculating the sale from is some arbitrary price they consider onboard pricing.  But if you back into the onboard pricing using the sales banners, it may not even be that price anymore when you finally make it onto the ship. 

It's obnoxious and the only thing to really do is track the bottom line price which is posted and get an idea of what prices are.

[Richk]

On 8/20/2019 at 12:35 PM, TJ! said:

How does cancellation work in terms of using a linked credit card. I've usually hate cancellations because of the hassle and the processing work days for the refund to return?

Is it fairly simple?

I just did it today. Our very first cruise. Thanks to reading these blogs I already saved $$. Bought the DDP for $55 last week for the 11 day cruise on Dec. 30th. Today it was $51. Doesn’t seem like much but for two people 11 nights plus the 18% I saved $103.84. Just canceled and repurchased. I’ll continue to watch especially on Black Friday, thanks to Cobra614 above!