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Cost of Alcohol


tx2tn

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We will be sailing on the Oasis of the Seas and are considering pre-purchasing an all you can drink package. In order to evaluate the costs, we need to know what alcohol costs on board.

 

Can ya'll tell us what drinks cost? Beer? Import Beer? Cocktails? Premiums like scotch?

 

 

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As you can see from the above 2 posts, opinions on the value of the drink package vary widely :)

 

I sit in the middle, for some cruises I see the value and for others I don't. Big drivers for me are the # of port days and who I am travelling with.

 

On the Port days side, you pay for the package on the port days, if you are going to be "off" the ship for 4 or 5 days then you have a lot less time to get the value out of your package, if you have a more sea day heavy cruise (remembering that CocoCay and Labadee are included in the package so drinks are "free") then the amount of time to consume your drinks in goes up.

 

If it is just my family then I am likely spending most of the day around my son (11) which means I am not really drinking anything except maybe a couple of beers during the afternoon/evening. If we have other families along and the grownups are likely to spend time together with the kids off doing their thing then its more likely that a couple of beers becomes a six-pack with a couple of mixed drinks and now the package is borderline. If we are travelling with the party crowd then the couple of beers becomes shots all night at the bars and the drink package is a no brainer.

 

For me the free beverages (Water, Ice Tea, Lemonade, etc.) are fine, so specialty coffees, juices, etc. add no value. If those interest you then you want to factor in something for that as well.

 

One other factor to consider is being able to try different drinks without worrying about wasting the money, my wife did this on Allure. We basically broke even on the package vs the cost of what she drank, however, she was much more willing to try different drinks knowing she could just get something else if she didn't like it.

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There are some facts. For example, if you want the soda package, that alone is $6.50 a day. So that plus, 4 drinks a day(drinks range from $6-$12) each would pretty much be the break even point.

 

So saying unless you do nothing but drink all day and nite its not worth it is false.

 

It is very easy to enjoy a couple beer on the private island before lunch. Then a drink with lunch. A couple fruity drinks in the afternoon while lying in the sun. Maybe a glass of wine with dinner, and then a couple evening drinks while enjoying the show. That would be  equal to your drink package price, PLUS you dont have to sign(and tip) for each drink you get, plus that wouldnt include your soda package. Along with fact you can also get bottled water as well.

 

 

To each their own, but the peace of mind, plus the convience is well worth it for me, each and every time I cruise. I hate surprise charges at the end of my cruise, and I don't want to be having a great nite out with friends and feel like I counting every drink and the cost as the nite goes on.

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I sit in the middle, for some cruises I see the value and for others I don't. Big drivers for me are the # of port days and who I am travelling with.

I agree.  If your cruise is port intensive, the package makes less sense.  But if you're on a cruise with friends who like to drink too and there are more sea days than port days, it can be worth it.

 

Like monctonguy said, to each their own.  I've strongly considered the drink packages but always passed in favor of paying a la carte because I don't think I would naturally drink that much to make it worth it for me.

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Yes, if my 7 day cruise had 5 port days, I may rethink it.

 

That being said, even on port days, I am still usually on the ship for half the day.

 

Maybe I just drink alot when on a cruise and I am one of those people who the cruiselines do NOT make money off the drink package on...lol

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Monctonguy - you're my new drinking hero.  :)  You broke the drinking bell curve.  LOL

 

I looked at the package on my last cruise but decided it wasn't for me.  I primarily drink craft brews, generally not served on cruises, but on the last cruise was pleasantly surprised by Sam Adams Double Bock.  However it was $8.50 plus tip per bottle, so I'd still be paying per bottle on top of the package.  My liquor drink of choice is aged rum, and they had Ron Zacapta on Oasis, but it too was over the limit at $12 IIRC.  So in the end I didn't get the package, but just put it all on my SeaPass card and pretended it was all charges for t-shirts. 

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Haha...I tried to tone it down and make it seem reasonable/normal.....lol.

 

I won't really tell you how much i put away when on these cruises.....

 

But to be honest, these packages are the reason why i decided to take that first cruise. I had always head horror stories about people getting off the boat with huge bar bills, so I didnt want to ever take that chance.  Being able to plan and pre-pay ahead of time is a great option and I would never cruise without a package to be honest.

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We did something similar to the Royal Replenish package on Celebrity. While we thought we'd only break even and did it out of convenience, we really found the value in it even on a port intensive cruise (no sea days). The early morning specialty coffees and teas helped extend the value as did the fresh squeezed juice. Thus, I could the benefit of the alcohol package if I drank more alcohol.

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