Mikeb1892 Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 That sounds so wrong when I say it. Cruise Planner is currently offering DDP at $61 per day. I've done the math multiple times, and keep coming out on the side I'm leaning to that day. This will be our first cruise so i don't have anything to compare. Anyone else been in this pickle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 What is your itinerary? If you're on a port-heavy cruise, I can't help you justify it because I can't justify it for myself then Otherwise, maybe -- but only if you like bottled water, lattes, and soda too. Add those to your calculations and you can sometimes come out ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeb1892 Posted January 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 3 full sea days (plus embarkation), 3 port days but 1 of which we'll be staying on the ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 OK, so you've got 4 days fully on the ship and 3 days off. That makes it potentially workable. At $61, you'll need to drink about 4 "full-priced" ($13) alcoholic beverages every single day, plus a couple of specialty coffees and bottled waters, to justify that price. So things like glasses of wine, mixed drinks like margaritas / mojitos / pina coladas / etc, or straight up liquors like a glass of Baileys or Jameson on the rocks. If one of your port days is in Labadee or Coco Cay, that's another day to take advantage of the drink package since it's usable in those private destinations. RWDW1204 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristiZ Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Cost aside, it is very freeing to not have to think about drinks. Want to try something new? Go for it! Hate it? Oh well! With that many sea days, you'll likely have an easy time "breaking even". Or at least I would. If you're comfortable with the $61 price, get it and then watch for sales. I've been able to snag it for less than that, which makes it easier to justify. WesKinetic, RWDW1204, WannaCruise and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlena Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 So from experience it's really not that hard to make it worth while. We booked one on our last cruise and I loved it. It depends what you drink. If beer it takes more to make it break even. I only drink cocktails so never found it difficult. Mimosa and latte in am. Couple cocktails by pool. Always had a pre dinner drink while getting ready. 2 at dinner and maybe 1 during the show. And often a coffee after. And this is not to mention all the bottled waters we took and stashed in our room for excursions. Having access to the freestyle machines was nice as well...has some great flavoured waters. If you are going to coco cay or labadee it's a HUGE added bonus! I enjoyed that I could try drinks and if I didnt like it I just didnt finish it! Having paid for it ahead of time was also nice knowing there would be no bill at disembarkation. Enjoy your trip! RWDW1204 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 1 hour ago, KristiZ said: Cost aside, it is very freeing to not have to think about drinks. Want to try something new? Go for it! Hate it? Oh well! Totally this. My husband gets half the value of his every day just from his morning espressos - then have an couple of afternoon drinks or beers, a glass of wine or two with dinner, and a nightcap? BOOM. Plus if you order that Lavender Martini and it doesn't sit well with you, leave it and move on. (Ok, I don't know what I'm saying, Lavender Martinis are the bomb, and I can't imagine anyone not liking them ... but apply the concept to whatever weird drink you want to try). Okgladgal, RWDW1204 and Neesa 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesKinetic Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 I can't claim credit for this. @Grenadyr created a very useful calculator to estimate how much you might spend without the drink package, so you can decide if it is a good deal or not. https://connect.calcapp.net/?app=9tts3#/ My only advice would be to do an apples-to-apples comparison. Most people only think about the price of the package vs. getting nothing. But to really get an accurate comparison, you need to think about what would you get if you DON'T get the drink package? The soda package? The refreshment package? Or nothing? Figure out the difference based on what you would get otherwise, and then decide if the drink package is right for you. SeasTheDayNJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomle Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 I always buy the package no matter if the cruise is port intensive or not. The reason for this is that I drink 2 or 3 glasses of wine at dinner and afterwards I drink during a show or in the casino. This alone justifies the package and on top of that I also drink soda, water etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeb1892 Posted January 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 We've already purchased at $61. A lot of the thoughts I had are being echoed here (mainly the prepayment and not worrying about the bill at the end, plus not having the feeling that if we end up with a drink we don't like we have to finish it) so we'll probably just keep it and watch for more discounts. Hopefully the interns will pop up again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floski Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Don't forget - the fabulous freshly squeezed OJ available in the MDR for breakfast and also at Vitality Spa are included in the DDP. I have absolutely no problems getting my money's worth (same for my wife, who is not a big drinker at all). dr martini and JLMoran 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 $61 is a little high in my opinion but depending on who I was with I would probably make good use out of it. I say this as someone who doesn't like to get drunk but enjoys a good glass of wine or a fun cocktail (no lavender or cucumber martini for me though ) With multiple coffees throughout the day, lots of water bottles, a drink at lunch, maybe an afternoon cocktail, dinner and after I've made good use out of it. When I cruise solo I don't buy it but when there are people to drink with it's almost a definite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof4crazytocruise Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Specialty coffee on way to breakfast. - Fresh squeezed orange juice at breakfast - mimosa (or 2?) or bloody mary on way to the pool - frozen mojito by the pool - beer at lunch - 2-3 frozen drinks by the pool that afternoon/or a coke or 3 - pre-dinner cocktail - 2 glasses of wine at dinner - drink(s) after dinner/at the show. Add in about 17 bottles of water throughout the day - you've made out ahead. Is every day like that? No. But on the drink package - it could be! $61 is steep, but you can always price watch and if it comes down, rebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Va4fam Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 We try to use the port-heavy vs. sea day equation but also factor in if one of the ports is Coco Cay or Labadee. Our next cruise has 4 ports in 7 days (no private island) so we chose the refreshment package and will supplement with our 2 bottles of wine, drink specials, and lots of "day drinking" on the beaches. I'm curious to see if we come out ahead. KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeb1892 Posted January 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Thanks for all the replies. After reading everything it sounds like it will be a no brainer to keep it. dr martini 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 15 hours ago, KristiZ said: Cost aside, it is very freeing to not have to think about drinks. Want to try something new? Go for it! Hate it? Oh well! + 2 This was a big thing for me. I'm not a big drinker, but we treated ourselves to the drink package for the first time on our last cruise. It was great being able to just try new drinks without the guilt of "what if I don't like it", and end up tossing it. And from our trip, I've discovered that I love mojitos (gonna try a frozen one next time) and Blue Hawaiian. Our cruise had it at $45 (converted amount) and I just broker even. I generally had 2 specialty coffees (one with Baileys), an afternoon fun drink by the pool, a wine with dinner (tried different kind each night from the menu), and a drink in the evening. Plus, we'd get bottled waters to drink or for when we got off the ship. I don't drink soda, but DH had his share, and I skipped the fresh OJ as the fun drinks have enough sugar, but if you like fresh juice, that is a really nice item too. Without the package, I probably would have just had wine (which we would bring so same bottle) and maybe an evening drink. With it, it was no issue to just try something and order a drink when I wanted. Fortunately, we purchased the package for $18 for our next two cruises (or $23 CAD), but in reality not sure we'll get it again at the current prices. But I will say it was a real treat and glad we could do so. Dh even commented lately how nice it was to have it. As others said, it depends on the # of port days, the # of drinks you think you'll drink, if you want to try new things without thought, and the actual cost of the package (e.g. we have one that is $90 CAD so no way we would purchase for that cruise as we'd never break even). KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikkoo Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 I’ve got to say it’s a great package. I was not going to get it. About 4 weeks out we talked ourselves into it. We had a blast! Did not get drunk, just occasionally tipsy. It’s amazing how much you will drink when it’s hot. For fun we kept a list. Even on port days when we got off the boat we always drank enough. It adds up really quickly when a spirit and mixer or glass of wine is $12-13! I would not sail without, even if I ever get to diamond plus. Have a great cruise, Nikkoo Floski 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 17 hours ago, Mikeb1892 said: That sounds so wrong when I say it. Cruise Planner is currently offering DDP at $61 per day. I've done the math multiple times, and keep coming out on the side I'm leaning to that day. This will be our first cruise so i don't have anything to compare. Anyone else been in this pickle? Redo your math...use the refreshment package and then add the alcohol as a la cart. Remember if you are with another adult in the same room then the deluxe package is x2. There is no way I will pay for a drink package that is the cost of the cruise for another person. Here is the math..61+18%*4*2=575.84 vs 20+18%*4*2=188.8 for a difference of $387.04. Now if you are going to drink about $400 in boose in 4 days...wow!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DublinFC Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 7 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said: Redo your math...use the refreshment package and then add the alcohol as a la cart. Remember if you are with another adult in the same room then the deluxe package is x2. @Mikeb1892 About the deluxe drink package the other adult being required to get it; not 100% true. I called Royal directly to explain that my wife does not drink all that much. Glass of wine with dinner, the odd cocktail here and there. We were able to downgrade her to the refreshment package while I kept the deluxe package. The phone rep was more than happy to accommodate us. I am not sure if this was explained in the other responses. Thought I would share our experience. Edit: I agree with @KristiZtoo. Buy and forget it. No counting drinks or $$ while on vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 Just now, DublinFC said: @Mikeb1892 About the deluxe drink package the other adult being required to get it; not 100% true. I called Royal directly to explain that my wife does not drink all that much. Glass of wine with dinner, the odd cocktail here and there. We were able to downgrade her to the refreshment package while I kept the deluxe package. The phone rep was more than happy to accommodate us. I am not sure if this was explained in the other responses. Thought I would share our experience. That is correct if he is the only one that is going to drink alcohol. If they both want to partake then you have to really look at the math. DublinFC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 My wife does not drink so just the refreshment pkg the 2 bottles that you can bring and a la cart is the way I go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DublinFC Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 1 minute ago, Jolly Ogre said: That is correct if he is the only one that is going to drink alcohol. If they both want to partake then you have to really look at the math. Agree, its going to come down to personal choice and preference. Just adding another option to the refreshment package idea you mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac66 Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 How much bottled water do you drink every day at home? How much fresh squeezed orange juice? How many specialty coffee's do you drink every day? How much pop do you drink? Heck, how much booze, beer and wine do you drink EVERY DAY? Granted, you're on vacation when on a cruise, but unless the answer is "all I can get" to any of those, you probably don't need the drink package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTE Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 12 hours ago, Mikeb1892 said: We've already purchased at $61. A lot of the thoughts I had are being echoed here (mainly the prepayment and not worrying about the bill at the end, plus not having the feeling that if we end up with a drink we don't like we have to finish it) so we'll probably just keep it and watch for more discounts. Hopefully the interns will pop up again! FYI Keep a watch as it might go down in price before you cruise & you can cancel & purchase at lower price. For my cruise this weekend it was $59 most all the time than it would go on sale for $55. Got lucky at Christmas & it dropped to $51 for that week so I purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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