Beverage Package Value

[skwak]

Would love a few thoughts regarding the value of the Deluxe Beverage Package.  For our cruise in January it is $83 per person per day.  $83!!!

I love the idea of having our entire family drinking what they want, when they want.  But is $83 per day reasonable?

Any thoughts?

[FloatyBoaty]

I think there are many threads and one of Matt's videos on this subject out there 

There are so many things to take into account. Quick thoughts - Most cocktails are $14, with wine in the same range. Beer is cheaper - how many drinks will you have a day? What about water, specialty coffees, smoothies & milkshakes? Is it a short or long cruise (harder to sustain that drinking pace on a longer cruise) I love the convenience of the DBP and have had it for each of my cruises so far, but have never paid $83 for it. You can buy now and reprice if it goes down before you cruise (when is your cruise)? So many factors here to research/take into consideration. Have fun!

 

[Xaa]

You have to balance how much drinking you will be doing and if it is alcohol or non.  Don't forget that if you have a lot of port stops you will probably drink less on those days.  Do some math and if you're close to break even I would do it, if it's a stretch, don't.  You still should have everyone drink what they want, when they want.  That isn't exclusive to your package choice.

Also, watch for sales.  May come down.  On my next cruise it was at a high of 79 and a low of 69.

[D Alt]

That is a lot of money per day.  I've seen 66.99/day on mine. But even that is too much when it's over 7 days long. 

[fireclan]

What's reasonable for you and your family may not be reasonable for me. I loved the convenience of the DBP! But honestly, I stopped purchasing when it exceeded $48 per day! Now people are paying close to double that without blinking an eye. Whatever you decide, have a great cruise with your family. 

[ChessE4]

Save your $ for more cruises to reach Diamond. Then you won't  need DBP. You can supplement vouchers with a cheaper package. Just a thought...

[Last2Know]

22 hours ago, skwak said:

Would love a few thoughts regarding the value of the Deluxe Beverage Package.  For our cruise in January it is $83 per person per day.  $83!!!

I love the idea of having our entire family drinking what they want, when they want.  But is $83 per day reasonable?

Any thoughts?

We use the option of bringing bottled soda or water on longer cruises along with the allotted 2 bottles of wine per stateroom.  This branch of the National Bank of Dad also stopped funding drink packages once the price was above $55 per day.

[mac66]

We don't buy the dp anymore. We've discovered other ways to imbibe. 

[Ampurp85]

I have brought exactly 1 DX on Royal and never have again. I then did the refreshment package a couple of times. Now I just get the soda package because I know I will have sparkling water and Coke Zero more than twice a day. I don't drink enough mocktails or cocktails for it to be worth it. I made Diamond and then prime, so I can't justify anything over about $14/day. However, my brother and BFF get all the value out of the DX, they say as long as it is under $80/day they are happy. 

[CruisinMikeD]

To break even on the deluxe beverage package, you need to drink ~5-6 full priced alcoholic beverages every day.  If you're not a big drinker, then it makes more sense to get the refreshment package and buy your alcohol a-la-carte.

[JimnKathy]

Lots of good comments in this thread and here's our 60ish-years-young perspective:

We're light drinkers during the day (a glass or two of wine with dinner most nights) with an occasional daytime cocktail by the Solarium pool. We also enjoy good coffee in the morning with breakfast. In total, we drink about 2 or 3 cocktails each day with one or two cups of great coffee in the morning (we don't drink juices).

We pack two bottles of delicious wine in our carry-ons along with insulated tumblers to enjoy free ice water (we're not soda drinkers) from any bar during the day.

We'll typically buy an inexpensive bottle of wine with dinner later in the week once we finish our carry-on bottles.  To fund our tasty coffee addiction, we purchase a coffee card or two (each card runs you about $33 bucks for 15 specialty coffees and you can buy an extra card on board if your addiction really kicks in ). 

We've tried may different combinations on past sailings, but really comes down to doing the math based on one's individual preferences.

Happy sailing to all!  

[salty]

I always get the drink package. Do I always break even? I'm not sure. However, I definitely come close. I do drink several specialty cocktails and when I'm not drinking those, I'm drinking soda or bottled water. Whatever amount I don't "break even" for, I simply write off as a convenience fee. It is so nice to not have to worry about it. Bonus points towards the drink package if you're stopping in Labadee or Coco Cay, since drinks are included with the package there as well.

[mac66]

Last Feb we bought and brought a couple bottles of booze on board after a shore excursion (stuff we couldn't get back home) fully expecting it to be confiscated. They didn't. That was in St. Maarten.

When we sailed with our adult kids last Dec, they flew in so we picked up a couple extra bottles of wine for them to carry aboard as we were meeting them on the dock.  I had a couple bottles and my wife forgot to give them theirs so she carried it aboard. We weren't stopped.  Though not encouraged there are other ways to imbibe on board.

We are D's and not big drinkers so don't really need extra booze. In fact on our last cruise we didn't even open the wine we took aboard.

[CruisingNewb]

Most replies to these types of question comes down to straight economics.  

However, I don't think in strictly those terms.  When you dine at a restaurant, you are paying a HUGE mark up on dishes.  For example, a steak that is listed on the menu as $60.00 likely cost the restaurant no more than $10.00 a pound (wholesale).  So what are you paying for then?

The drink package has always been satisfying for my family on every cruise line we have traveled on.

Our opinion is that you are paying for the drink, the service, the variety, but for us, the most important thing is peace of mind.  We are on vacation.  We don't want to be taking out our smartphone calculators and doing math or going to guest services to pay daily expenses.

Having said that, don't forget that every time you go to the bar, you can ask for 2 bottles of water and the package includes specialty coffee drinks.

If you want to run numbers, 4 cocktails, 1 glass of wine, 4 bottles of water, 1 soda, and 2 lattes a day is what we averaged and the math comes out in our favor.  

[chy]

On my last cruise me and my partner got the DBP that was coupled with the surf+stream wifi, and we enjoyed it. We have paid for it again for our upcoming cruise and the price comes to about $2000.00CAD for both of us to have the DBP and the surf+stream for a 7 night cruise. I know that sounds ridiculous, but you need to think about how much use you will get out of it. My and my boyfriend are both in our early 20's, thus we like to drink and can drink because we are still young lol. We also use our phones lots for things like school, and talking to our parents who we both still live with, or even watching our Netflix shows together. We get good use out of it especially if you consider that the average price of a cocktail with gratuity on board is about $23CAD. Not to mention the convivence of being able to walk up to any bar or have an extra glass of wine at dinner and not worry about cost is nice.

[MaryCS62]

Due to health reasons, I will no longer buy the DBP - really can't have that much alcohol. I do get the refreshment package, even though I'm not going to have too many mocktails - again, health reasons, too much sugar - but will drink soda, sparkling waters & specialty coffee. Thinking about bringing on wine for dinner. Plus, if DH wants the DXB, I have to get it, and during the Black Friday sale, the price differential between that and the soda package wasn't too much.  We have a cruise in March, & DH will use that experience to see if he wants to upgrade from Refreshment to DXB for our Oasis B2B in August.  We were hoping to be Diamond by now, but Covid & other problems cancelled too many cruises, so not there yet.

 

[FloatyBoaty]

3 hours ago, MaryCS62 said:

Due to health reasons, I will no longer buy the DBP . Plus, if DH wants the DXB, I have to get it, 

 

If you can't get the DBP for health reasons and your husband wants it, you do not HAVE to - call Royal and explain and they will create an exclusion for you. You will have to purchase the Refreshment package though instead

[FireFishII]

3 hours ago, MaryCS62 said:

I will no longer buy the DBP - really can't have that much alcohol.Plus, if DH wants the DXB, I have to get it.

 

Ditto to what @FloatyBoatysaid.  She just beat me to the answer.  That is what my sister did and it does work. 

[MaryCS62]

1 hour ago, FireFishII said:

Ditto to what @FloatyBoatysaid.  She just beat me to the answer.  That is what my sister did and it does work. 

 

1 hour ago, FloatyBoaty said:

If you can't get the DBP for health reasons and your husband wants it, you do not HAVE to - call Royal and explain and they will create an exclusion for you. You will have to purchase the Refreshment package though instead

that's what I said we are doing, at least for the March cruise.  DH will then decide if he wants to do refreshment with the occasional alcohol purchase, or get the DXB again for himself.

[skwak]

Just to tie out since everyone has been so helpful in responding:

We decided that honestly only my middle son (age 26) and I likely will drink to a great extent.  My dear wife is kinda a 2 drink max (3 would be the most ever unless she wants the boat to spin) and my oldest son (age 28) is not much of a drinker.  Son #3 is 20 years old so at least officially cannot drink.

We shuffled the room occupants to put Son #2 with me and ordered the drink package for us.  Everyone else can just order what they want when they want it.

All good.  

[mac66]

Seriously... $1600/week (at current prices) for booze? Seriously?

[Ampurp85]

9 hours ago, mac66 said:

Seriously... $1600/week (at current prices) for booze? Seriously?

Yep at $80-90/day or $65-75 for cruises longer than 8 nights, that would be the cost for two people. Which is pretty much another cruise lol

[Xaa]

19 hours ago, mac66 said:

Seriously... $1600/week (at current prices) for booze? Seriously?

It's important to some people.  Not us, but for those that it is, that can easily be the cost of drinks on a cruise vacation.  For us, the two 19 year old's get Refreshment and drink fancy coffees and soda mostly, 12 year old also gets refreshment and drinks the hell out of soda but also always seems to have a virgin Miami Vice or Labadoozie in his hand.  My wife is a drinker but not huge, we bring the 2 bottles of wine for her and she just orders anything else a la carte.  I don't drink at all but I do drink tons of soda so I'm a soda package guy.

Having done the initial math, this notion that not having a DX package somehow places you in a spot of constant consternation and calculation about drinks is a fallacy.  My wife and I get every single thing we want, we don't calculate it out or worry about it.  We simply expect by cruise end that it is less than the cost of the particular package.  If ever it weren't, then a package would be our choice.  Not having a package doesn't in itself rob any freedom unless you put yourself in extreme budget mode vs all I want to drink is less than a DX package mode. 

I can buy my wife the all you can eat chicken wing package, but 35 years have proven that number is 8-10 wings.  A single order is essentially a Deluxe Wing Package for her.

[twangster]

Achieving Diamond status in the Crown and Anchor program includes getting four daily drinks.  If it takes 5 - 6 alcoholic drinks to break even with the DX getting 4 of those included changes the math.  You'd then need 9 - 10 alcoholic drinks to break even.  

[mac66]

On 12/31/2022 at 10:18 AM, mac66 said:

Seriously... $1600/week (at current prices) for booze? Seriously?

Okay, that was slightly exaggerated. That was calculated based on the DBP price ($83/day) they charged on my last (8 night) cruise (nov '22) = $1567 (includes gratuity). That's more than we paid for the cruise for the 2 of us.

  I just looked at what it would cost for my next 7 night cruise in February '23.  DBP is at $63.99/day x 7 days=528.55x 2=(includes 18% gratuity)=1057.11 (That's 75 $14 drinks or 132 beers).

 For $1057 I think I could figure out other ways to drink on a cruise ship.

If you happen to be a D the 4 vouchers are worth $66.08/day=$446 w/gratuity/7 days. 5 D+ vouchers are worth  $82.60/day or $558/week. That's based on the max $14/drink value.

And of course that times 2 if you're a D(+) traveling with your spouse.

[Censored]

On 12/6/2022 at 12:44 PM, ChessE4 said:

Save your $ for more cruises to reach Diamond. Then you won't  need DBP. You can supplement vouchers with a cheaper package. Just a thought...

I would agree here, but for some achieving Diamond is a stretch especially first timers cant even go there.  I would NEVER pay $83 a day.  Bring a couple bottles of wine to start.  Beer drinker? Buy the OIL CAN  Fosters beer.  Its like 2 beers for one.  $9   Gamble? go to the casino ... get free drinks..... dont gamble  put in 5 bucks and play 30 cents a spin to qualify and drink.  Some people fill empty bottles of mouthwash with vodka.  LOL   

[TravisMA81]

I don't understand why moderate drinkers that don't need the drink package like to complain about the price.  I don't complain about the dining package because there's no way I could eat that much every night so I would never get it.  I can easily drink 8 to 12 beers or mixed drinks a day so $80 works for me.   

[mac66]

14 hours ago, TravisMA81 said:

I don't understand why moderate drinkers that don't need the drink package like to complain about the price.  I don't complain about the dining package because there's no way I could eat that much every night so I would never get it.  I can easily drink 8 to 12 beers or mixed drinks a day so $80 works for me.   

If you drink 8-12 beers or drinks a day it's understandable why you don't mind paying the price.

[AshleyDillo]

19 hours ago, Censored said:

Gamble? go to the casino ... get free drinks..... dont gamble  put in 5 bucks and play 30 cents a spin to qualify and drink.

You actually have to pay for drinks in the casino even when gambling unless you have reached the Prime casino status level.

[Censored]

20 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

You actually have to pay for drinks in the casino even when gambling unless you have reached the Prime casino status level.

Ok, so i just read the fine print on this. Correct. But these rules are bended frequently.  I see couples play together and one member may be prime or signature and they both get free drinks. Or just say you are prime... nobody ever looks at my card.  The servers really dont care.WHY? because they are expecting tips.  If you can serve 20 drinks in one hour that $20 bucks an hour, not bad for cruise staff wages. The bartender  probably makes the most money on many casino ships.  Im not suggesting to cheat here, but once you start tipping and recognized for that you will get your free drinks.  This would apply only if the existing rules are slack and not enforced. Maybe its changed. But from my experience, there are lots of people getting free drinks, non prime/signature/master.    Your card is in the machine.,and playing... give it a try.  

[WAAAYTOOO]

My experience is that they do check your Sea Pass card, but once they know you, they don't ask again.  I have never ordered a drink without them asking to see my SP card at least once.  I'm a good tipper, so they do remember me.  LOL

[Ampurp85]

They definitely check your card but if you do tip then they remember and will allow concessions. 

[Censored]

22 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

My experience is that they do check your Sea Pass card, but once they know you, they don't ask again.  I have never ordered a drink without them asking to see my SP card at least once.  I'm a good tipper, so they do remember me.  LOL

I don't remember being asked for my card. Perhaps its facial recognition? Every time I cruise,  the host comes up and introduces themselves. Maybe the staff have a powwow meeting prior to guests boarding and are filled in on how many vip guests will be playing?   I was on a Celebrity cruise once, with a group of friends, and none of us paid for a beverage package. We picked a specific bar onboard and tipped the bartender HEAVILY all week.  Even though there are cameras watching, I think he plays the facade that all these are prepaid packages. With the amount of money we tipped, we might as well bought the package!  

[69RoadRunner]

My wife and I are light drinkers. No way would we drink enough for that to make sense. Do the math. You'd have to drink A LOT every day of the cruise.