happy cruisers 2 Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 (edited) I know this is mostly a math calculation, but wanted to put it out there for any comments or past experiences. We just reached Diamond, so I know that will give us 4 drink vouchers a day to be used in any bar on the ship. Our next cruise will be in a Suite, so that gives us free drinks in the Suite Lounge. I like to get a non-Starbucks mocha each morning (some days two) and wife likes to get a CAN of diet coke in the morning from one of the bars. We try to drink probably 2 - 3 bottles of water during the day. Occasionally we might have a Prosecco or something similar in the afternoon. Our time in the Suite Lounge (and perhaps 2 drinks, maybe 3, depending on time available) is usually from about 5:45 or 6:00pm, until we leave for dinner at 6:45 or so. With dinner, we each have one glass of wine. After that, we don't return to the Suite Lounge for any drinks, as we're off to a show or some entertainment in one of the bars (where we will also have a few drinks). So here's my question, and I know everyone has different drinking preferences: Do you think it ever makes sense to purchase the Deluxe Beverage Package when you're staying in a suite and have Diamond status? Any input from those who are also Diamond or above and stay in a suite would be appreciated. Thanks! Edited October 26, 2023 by happy cruisers 2 clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 What ship? I ask b/c on Oasis class you get free beer, wine, soda, bottled water from 11-11 daily in the SL. So that would make a big difference one way or the other. 27th Lady, PPPJJ-GCVAB and CruiseGus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruisers 2 Posted October 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 I edited my original post to state that we will also have a few drinks during the evening, while at a show or in a bar after that. To answer your question, OCSC Mike, our next two cruises are on smaller ships -- Mariner and Grandeur. Good point about Oasis class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 It comes down convenience and how many drinks per day you tend to consume. When waiting for a show to start do you like to order a drink? If you are on the pool deck do you desire a frozen something or two or three? Walking down the promenade after dinner and you feel like a beer, stop at the pub or make the trip to the SL? The math behind the DX or pay as you go changes with the CAS four drinks. It's not just a matter of never ever going over four drinks (if you don't buy the DX), it's a matter of not going over what you would pay per day for the DX but also averaged over the whole cruise. Maybe some days between the four free CAS drinks and an SL cocktail it isn't enough to satisfy your whistle. If the DX costs $90 per day would you desire to consume five or six more drinks beyond D drinks each and every day? When you do that math consider the average daily consumption over the whole cruise. On day one it's exciting to be on a cruise again so maybe five over the CAS coupons is your thing but will you sustain that every single day? Five over on day one, zero over on day two because you are in port most of the day, three over on day three, two over on day four, etc. By day five or six will you have drink fatigue? Some people still make the DX work even with the CAS free drinks. Other people when averaged over the whole cruise, will never make the DX work. Only you can answer that question. There is something to say about the DX and enjoying vacation mode. Will it always be on your mind? I've had three, better hold off on that beer I feel like... vs. I feel like a beer even if I don't finish the whole thing, I don't care, I'm on vacation. Hey let's try the drink of the day vs. I've only got two left, better not try the drink of the day even though it sounds great. asquared17 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fa-li Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 We are in the same boat, so to speak, and have opted to try going without the drinks package this first cruise as diamond coming up. But we will be in Norway, very port intensive and not sitting by the pool on the regular. Also, the package has not dropped below $74.99 pp/pd so it would take a lot of daily overages to be "worth it." On Harmony, our suite steward replenished our large bottles of Evian every day, so the waters we would normally get value from on the package were not so much a factor. Not sure if this will be the case for you. I tend to agree with Twangster though, if it will help with "vacation mode" then I think that goes a long way toward justifying a package. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncwmark Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 If you're diamond or higher and staying in a suite, it will never make FINANCIAL sense to purchase the DBP unless you regularly (over course of length of cruise) drink more than 15+ beverages a day. Period. Now, as mentioned above, if you prefer to look at it purely from a convenience standpoint, then... to each his/her own... but RCCL says "THANK YOU!!!" ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 For our purposes, vouchers + happy hour make the drink package a huge waste of money. But RC doesn't offer the package out of the kindness of their hearts, they do it to make money. I would bet the majority of people who get the drink package lose money compared to buying a la carte. But vacation mode is a thing asquared17 and Xaa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaa Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 Vacation mode is a thing for sure. People are weird. If they are taking a cruise in a few months, they buy a package today, pay for it next month and then go on the trip and order what they will feeling free and happy that they avoided a big bill at the end as if that's the only way to do it. I suggest for those not sure they need a DBP (if you're sure you need it, you need it), to simply add it to the cart, go to checkout and see the full amount, then cancel it and put that amount aside that day (or next month if they want to simulate charging it). Then at the end of the cruise they have that money to pay the drink tab and what remains is their savings. Vacation mode need not be sacrificed. PRMLVM and roundabout 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 None of this works if you are in a Junior Suite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncwmark Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 1 hour ago, Jolly Ogre said: None of this works if you are in a Junior Suite. OP specifically mentioned staying a suite and having access to suite lounge... so, no... not relevant if staying in a Jr. Suite, but that wasn't the premise of the post... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted October 26, 2023 Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 11 minutes ago, Uncwmark said: OP specifically mentioned staying a suite and having access to suite lounge... so, no... not relevant if staying in a Jr. Suite, but that wasn't the premise of the post... Yes, but the OP did not specifically say they were in a Grand suite or above and I did not want them thinking if you are in a Jr Suite that you get all the benefits that other suites get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27th Lady Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 I wonder if you thought about getting refreshment packages instead of deluxe beverage packages? The sense I get from your post is that you might use more than 4 drinks outside of the lounge but not 4 alcoholic drinks outside of the lounge per day. If you have a refreshment package you can still use your diamond drinks for alcohol and have 4 of those each per day in addition to the coffee, water etc you get through the refreshment package and the drinks you have in the lounge. We recently were in your position but in an oasis class ship. My husband got a refreshment package and I didn’t get anything. He liked the flexibility of the package for coffee and water, fresh juices etc and between the lounge and the diamond drinks had plenty of alcohol. fa-li and ChessE4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Carry on 2 bottles of wine and a 12 pack of water/soda. You can buy water at the port and carry that on. Save the vouchers for alcohol. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/food-drink-onboard-policy PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 I'm usually not in a suite...but I'm Diamind Plus...so my wife and I each get five drinks a day... It NEVER makes sense to buy the package...It's like paying, ahead of time, for drinks #6 through #12...and we've NEVER drank that much... IF we go over the five, paying for the next few drinks is STILL CHEAPER than the package. IF those extra drinks are only cokes, it still comes WAY under. Cikes are a LOT cheaper...We'd have to drink about 30 of those each to break even n the package. And C&A puts a bunch of free water bottles in our cabin as well. To those who say "buy the package so you can relax and niot worry about it", I say "Huh? IF we pay BY THE drink, we don't worry about it either--the bar tab comes out WAY less than the package would have cost." asquared17, WAAAYTOOO, PPPJJ-GCVAB and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Coffee card and 24 bottles of water is a cheap way to get non-alcoholic drinks without using your 'free' loyalty ones...unless of course the bottled water is free in your suite anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 We sail in suites and used to get the DBP. However, when we hit diamond, we switched to the refreshment package. We get our specialty coffee from the suite lounge usually, but we drink quite a bit of water every day, and while I have no problem drinking the ships water, it's more convenient to get a bottle from a bar when we are out and about. Sparkling water is also included which we like with dinner (right next to our glass of wine), and DH will have an occasional soda. There may have been a sea day or two where we had to pay for a drink outside of the vouchers and happy hour, but that's pretty rare for us. We wait for Black Friday sales and then buy for every sailing we have on the books. For now, this is the most cost effective for us. asquared17 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 3 hours ago, Bruin Steve said: I'm usually not in a suite...but I'm Diamind Plus...so my wife and I each get five drinks a day... It NEVER makes sense to buy the package...It's like paying, ahead of time, for drinks #6 through #12. This is a great analogy. Exactly right ! asquared17 and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 1 hour ago, melmar02 said: We wait for Black Friday sales and then buy for every sailing we have on the books us too. we are diamond and typically stay in junior suites or balcony. it’s rare that we even get through all the vouchers, and it’s true, we are not big “drinkers” but if i had suite lounge access on top of that benefit, it would not be cost effective for me to purchase the DBP. paying ala carte for a special glass of champagne or specialty drink still ends up cheaper than the package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruisers 2 Posted October 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 The question came up about type of suite. Ours will be Owner's. Also, yes, we have considered the other types of drink packages. For now, we've decided to purchase the deluxe package and we can continue to consider it up until closer to cruising. One other thing I'll mention, recently on Allure we had a time or two where the Suite Lounge was so full (adults and children) around 5:30pm that it just didn't look appealing -- lack of seating and too many people. We left and found another spot to relax prior to dinner. In those situations, the deluxe package might seem more worthwhile to have. Perhaps we'll go with the deluxe package on our next cruise and evaluate it as to whether it will be worthwhile in the future. I do realize that a port-intensive cruise vs. a "just enjoy the ship" cruise makes a difference in my thinking also. Thanks to all for your input. As always, there's a helpful bunch of cruisers ready to offer suggestions and advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 @happy cruisers 2 I would second you get the refreshment package. Based on your habits outlined above, you would be paying far more than you would drink. I believe your vouchers would more than cover any alcoholic drinks each day, even without access to the suite lounge. The refreshment would cover your coffee, coke and water needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mturk Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Maybe you should consider buying one DBP and a refreshment package. You cannot do this online but will have to call in to get it done. My wife and I did this last January, which came in handy, which was our first cruise as Diamond and we had a few sea days. She had the package and i got use of 8 vouchers. Things are different for us now as we're each Prime members as well and can get drinks in the casino complimentary. YellowBrickRoad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowBrickRoad Posted October 28, 2023 Report Share Posted October 28, 2023 17 hours ago, Mturk said: Maybe you should consider buying one DBP and a refreshment package. You cannot do this online but will have to call in to get it done. My wife and I did this last January, which came in handy, which was our first cruise as Diamond and we had a few sea days. She had the package and i got use of 8 vouchers. Things are different for us now as we're each Prime members as well and can get drinks in the casino complimentary. This is the question I asked recently and that is what I believe I will try next as a new Diamond member. Get one DBP and one refreshment package and one of us use the 8 vouchers to see how that goes. 27th Lady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texaskstar Posted October 28, 2023 Report Share Posted October 28, 2023 The math alone is so significantly against buying the drink package if you’re Diamond and in a Suite. Even if you go to Labadee and Coco Cay and plan on getting blackout drunk while there, it’s still much cheaper to pay as you go there than it is to buy the drink package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debstr66 Posted December 27, 2023 Report Share Posted December 27, 2023 Hi Happy Cruisers 2! Curious to see if you've gone on your cruise yet and what your experience was as a newly minted Diamond and how the vouchers worked out for you. I too am curious about whether I (we) should continue to get the DBP when we go on our cruise in April. For my cruise coming up in Jan I purchased the Refreshment Pkg and will see how it goes with the 4 vouchers and purchasing any additional beer ala carte. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruisers 2 Posted December 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2023 1 hour ago, Debstr66 said: Hi Happy Cruisers 2! Curious to see if you've gone on your cruise yet and what your experience was as a newly minted Diamond and how the vouchers worked out for you. Debstr66, we have not gone yet. Unfortunately, the B2B we're doing is not until May 2024. Too far off, in my opinion!! So far, with the recent sale prices for the DBP, we benefitted and have not cancelled. You have a cruise coming up very soon! And another one before we go on ours. Have a wonderful time on both! Debstr66 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cakemeister Posted December 27, 2023 Report Share Posted December 27, 2023 Also, someone mentioned that drink cards have come back. This is a card you buy at the bar good for 10 drinks, and I think they were less than $100. You might go a la carte until they start selling drink cards, then buy one then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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