Drink Package - Worth it?

[Zimmerberg]

I know this is probably a loaded question but I wanted other opinions on this topic. My girlfriend and I are going on Wonder in August for 7 nights with 2 sea days, 3 in port, and 1 in coco cay. I am trying to see if it is worth it to buy the drinking package right now with the cost being $81 per person/day or $567 per person total. I am not the biggest drinker in the world, as opposed to my girlfriend lol, but we've been on Harmony last year and we bought the drinking package then because we had more sea days and I understand how easy it is keep the drinks coming as time flies by sailing away.

Any input or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

Royal Caribbean Drink Package

[OCSC Mike]

It begins as a simple math problem.... Will you order enough drinks to cover that cost?

Beyond that... You may find added value in paying up front and just relaxing knowing what you've spent. You may take advantage of it to try new drinks knowing if you don't like one you can move on to the next at no additional cost. You may order fresh squeezed OJ at breakfast just b/c you can even if you don't really "need" it.

The math part is simple... the rest is more of a personal preference thing and doesn't have the same answer for everyone.

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

Well, first thing is you’ll need to add the 18% gratuity to your total price per person…which is about $102 more per person.  Next…you have 3 port days and if you plan to be off the ship a good part of each day, well…that’s a lot of time with no opportunity to use your drink pkgs.

If she is a drinker and wants the package…why not buy it for her and get the refreshment package for you?  Then when you want something alcoholic…just pay for it.

OR…neither one gets the package and you just pay as you go for drinks!  Most likely it will be cheaper than paying over $1300 for 2 drink packages.

This is strictly my opinion!   

[GatorCruiser]

Yea

[WesKinetic]

First thing, consider what package you might purchase if you DON'T get the deluxe package. Are you a soda drinker and would get your money out of the soda package? Do you like your iced coffees and lattes and would take advantage of the refreshment package? If you think you would likely get one of those packages, you need to subtract out the cost of that from the price of the deluxe package and then decide if you would order enough alcoholic drinks to make up that difference. 

So many people asking this question make the mistake of "worth it" based on comparing the deluxe package to getting nothing, which is rarely an apples-to-apples comparison. 

 

[loki007]

Generally we always buy the package pre-cruise when on sale. Watch the cruise planner for deals but $81 pp per day may be the cheapest for your sailing. I have 2 bookings currently. Allure is $79.99/pp PD right now and Utopia is $85.99. It is a math problem as already mentioned but also one of convenience. I hate having to sign every time I buy a drink, and hate even more the dreaded bill on the last day. If you drink a specialty coffee or 2 in the morning, some pool side drinks, and wine or a couple evening cocktails I think you will find it is cheaper than paying per drink. We were just on Odyssey and to get a decent glass of wine it was $14.99 which was a dollar up charge over the package limits. If you take a peek at the bars and lounges on your app u can see menus. Beer averages around $8 and cocktails/wine $11-$14. Lets assume your average drink is $12 you only have to consume 7 drinks for the entire day to make the package worth it for you. 

[smokeybandit]

It's only worth it purely from a financial standpoint if what you drink per day (alcohol and non) priced out a la carte would cost more than what you paid for the package.

 

[Ditchdoc]

Ah ... the age old question ... can I drink a thousand dollars worth of booze in a week?

Yeah ... maybe ...

Or will you just be so hung over trying to get your monies worth the trip is not that much fun?

The only way I would get my monies worth is if I focused on specialty drinks the entire cruise. This includes coffees, fresh squeezed juices, many bottles of water, bloody Mary for breakfast, drinks by the pool in the afternoon, wine  or Scotch at dinner, a drink at the evening show and probably a night cap.

Then I think, what could I put in my home bar for a thousand bucks?

Many Diamond member's that already get 4 or 5 drinks a day, it is probably not going to be worth it.

Nah .... maybe ....

You gotta decide for yourself.

[RockerDom31]

Something to think about too… Does your itinerary visit Labadee and/or Coco Cay? Your drink package will work at the bars at those private destinations as well. 

[foxrunner]

 @Ditchdoc "Many Diamond member's that already get 4 or 5 drinks a day, it is probably not going to be worth it." I see this reply often in combo with I'm Prime in the Casino so we don't need a drink package. Maybe @Zimmerberg with one post has been on many cruises and is Diamond/Prime in the loyalty programs but likely not. The point the good doctor is making is that everyone's situation is different. I like the price certainty of the drink package as a non Diamond/Prime cruiser. 

Side rant  @loki007"We were just on Odyssey and to get a decent glass of wine it was $14.99 which was a dollar up charge over the package limits." This drives me crazy, the included wine is almost plonk and they get a buck a glass for the solid stuff.  Not a wine snob but when I look at the in package included hard booze just doesn't add up.

[Frogfanatic]

As many others have said, the UBP includes all the non-alcoholic drinks (including bottle waters) as well. These typically get overlooked.  With the waters, I get a bottle every two-ish alcoholic drinks and one or two for the stateroom fridge every day.  These can add up.  For me personally, I love the feeling of freedom knowing that if I chose to try something that I wouldn't try at home and don't like it, then no big deal, just order something else. It's the peace of mind that is part of what I am paying for and that is big for me.  

[WAYNO]

I don't drink as much as I used to.  And now I am D+ as well as Signature in the casino.  I'm finding I don't use all those drink benefits.  I probably never drank my moneys worth when I'd buy the Deluxe Drink Package, but that was not my whole persuasion to do so.  The drink package is so convenient.  And I was able to experiment with drinks that I normally would never buy.  Or if a drink became warm or stale, or even boring, I could push it aside and order another. 

Value, as in getting your moneys worth, is not my whole consideration.  I think convenience is valuable too. 

[aubtfan]

For me and my husband, we have done drink package on all cruises we do, and my son gets Refreshment package, except when we did Disney Cruise.  Halving drinks prepaid is worth it to us. So convenient. 

[tjcruisers]

I've never gotten this incarnation on the drink package. I think I got the beer package once long ago when they had it. For us the price is not worth it given what we spend a la carte, would rather just save the money and go on another cruise or upgrade to a suite

[TonyYOW]

Absolutely not worth it for me personally. I drink about 3 drinks a day. The final cost for me is less than half of the drink package. 

A couple of families who travelled with us admitted their drink packages make them drink more then they would normally. 

[smokeybandit]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall of RC's data to know how many people maximize the beverage package vs. those who lose money on it.

[TonyYOW]

To make it worth it, you must drink 8-9 drinks every day of the cruise. 

[pat8635]

First, I hate seeing the bill add up.  I am there to relax.  I got it for Harmony 4 feb sailing for $66 pre tax. Because I will use magic cup 3x at lunch, drink 4 to 8 bottles of water easily a day and with a drink and wine with dinner and one at show, I've paid for it and all prepaid!

[Thom Cruise]

I'll also point out that drinking experiences differ from ship to ship.

So, on Odyssey there is a barista station in the Windjammer, so every morning I'd get a mocha, and a fresh OJ, it was so easy and convenient. 

But I then went on Symphony last year and there is no barista station in Windjammer, but apparently you can just ask a waiter to get you those drinks.  Now, I dont like asking someone to get drinks for me, I've never been comfortable with that and I've always gone to get drinks myself. I didn't feel like I used my drinks package enough on Symphony. 

I also didn't find a lot of convenient places on Symphony to get coffees and juices, it's a massive ship and you trek around to find them, whereas Odyssey felt better designed for this, and there are less people on board and so the whole experience for me was to my liking. 

But then again....you get free milkshakes at Jonny Rockets with the drinks package but there's no Jonny Rockets on Odyssey!

If you're not into barista coffees, if you're not into fresh OJ, if you're not a day-drinker, then don't do it.  The free coffee is excellent (Lavazza), and the free juices are cold and delicious but are infused water rather than juice. 

[pat8635]

Those are great points!

[PatsFanBrian]

As others have pointed out, it's a math problem as well as a matter of convenience.  We used to always get the DBP for both reasons.

We just got of Odyssey and this was our first sail as Diamond cruisers, so we did not get it.  One thing we noticed about halfway through was that we were not drinking as much because we were tracking our four daily vouchers.  Not to say we didn't go above 4 on some days.  We were also carefully considering what we were going to have for our drinks.  We saved the vouchers for the pricier mixed cocktails and and used them on beer when we were out of them or we knew that we wouldn't be getting any further mixed drinks.

We also didn't miss the fresh squeezed OJ or specialty coffees as much as we thought we would.  And for water, we just preordered a 12 pack of Evian and paid less than if we kept ordering smaller bottles.

[Thom Cruise]

I'd also point out that I'm not the type of drinker who is fascinated with cocktails, which I've noticed is aomething that a lot of people seem to enjoy.  They'll try them all, just to experience them, but I'm firmly a beer drinker in the evening, and I might have 6 beers in an evening, so that's around $60.  But I'm also likely to not drink the following night, so then I'm down to $30 average.  

I also tend to fill up a 1 litre water bottle from the free drinks station a couple of times a day rather than buy bottles of water, but that's more down to my personal preference of monitoring my water consumption to ensure I drink enough. 

[Matt]

I've added a breakdown for why to buy a Royal Caribbean drink package on this post: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-beverage-package-costs-info-tips

[dustfsu]

I would do what most people said and get the refreshment for you and the DBP for your GF. If you are an early riser you can still get fresh OJ and Starbucks coffee at Cafe Promenade.  You can also get milkshakes at Johnny Rockets.  So you can get your money's worth with the refreshment package through out the day and still buy a few drinks when you need to.  Or if you have been to ports you have stopped at many times and plan on staying on to relax and enjoy the ship and not do any excursion then both of you should get the DBP. Then you can still get the juices, coffee's and shakes

[function12]

When we are able to buy the drink package on sale.  It usually works out to 4-5 alcohol drinks a day.  That doesn't not include and specialty coffees, shakes, waters, or sports drinks.  Those are a bonus in our minds.  What is nice is being able to try new drinks and not feel like we have wasted or money or suffering through a bad drink.  Just order a different one.  We usually have a few drinks at the pool, a drink at dinner, a drink watching a show, and a drink or two in the casino.  So, it works for us.  Even though we usually book suites and can go to the lounge.  We just don't really care for the selection of drinks there or having to hang out in the lounge.  Now once we get to diamond or prime in the casino it will be much harder choice.

 

[J3N]

We  sail twice a year and we always get the drink package.  We always buy the drink package when it goes on sale, using Matt's breakdown, we always come up ahead.  I am a huge planner so I am constantly looking at my cruise planner.  My husband while on vacation is a heavier drinker than me so he makes up for it more than I can.  If you add in all the non alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages it works in our favor.  A couple specialty coffees in the morning, fresh squeezed orange juice and then perhaps a nice bloody mary to get the day started.  Water, Water, Water....   Sitting by the pool 3-4 cocktails you are already hitting that mark before pre dinner cocktails.   We may not drink like this everyday but when we average it all out we are slightly ahead.  We love not having a "bill" at the end of our vacation and of course you have to do what is comfortable for you.  We have never regretted getting the drink package. 

[CruisingNewb]

The problem with these kinds of questions is that its NOT simple math.  It never is.  It can't be. Otherwise, businesses would not survive.

Take for instance a Fast Food cheese burger.  If you pay $10 for a cheeseburger from a drive through, what are you getting?  You are getting about $2.00 meal if you break down the ingredient cost.  Why then would anyone go to McDonalds or Burger King?  The math doesn't justify the meal.

We pay the mark-up prices because we want convenience and quickness, without self-labor.

Is the DBP worth it mathematically? Well, why is everyone, including me in the past, fixated on the retail prices v. drink count v. days of drinking?  If math were the sole factor, you take the cost of a cocktail, about $1.50, and see how many of these you can drink.  Remember, alcohol mark-up is the biggest mark-up in the food and beverage industry.  YOU ARE NOT DRINKING $1,000 worth of alcohol in a week.  THIS IS NOT a reasonable way of calculating.

So, the point is convenience PLUS worth of goods, services, and labor.  The drink package works on Cococay.  It covers lots of drinks.  Cruise ship cocktails are not as strong as ones you will find at your local watering hole.  Unless you are really restrained or cannot take much alcohol, you will likely drink at least 2 cocktails a day.  Throw in a glass or 2 of wine and a beer.  Have some bottled water.  Yeah, its worth it in the end.  Otherwise, why wouldn't we be doing the simple math for the worthiness of the ENTIRE cruise?  

Why not break down costs of the cruise, meals, and everything else while we are at it, I believe the math will not work out in anyone's favor based upon how we have been traditionally calculating worth on these boards.  We choose to cruise for the value of our enjoyment, not by the cost break-down of every goods and services we receive. 

[CruisingNewb]

Another thing... @Matt makes an excellent point on his Blog that another bonus to the drink package is that it allows you to try new drinks.  If you don't like, it, stop drinking it and order something else.  

[Bean79]

My rule of thumb is if I think I can drink 6 or more mixed drinks a day it is worth it. Plus like the things CruisingNewb pointed out. I'm on vacation I don't want to sign a receipt or worry about a big bill at the end of the cruise.

[CruisingNewb]

6 minutes ago, Bean79 said:

My rule of thumb is if I think I can drink 6 or more mixed drinks a day it is worth it. Plus like the things CruisingNewb pointed out. I'm on vacation I don't want to sign a receipt or worry about a big bill at the end of the cruise.

Yep.  Plus if you are already at 6 drinks, your math will definitely be faulty lol!

[SeaSunnedTraveler]

Just bought the drinks package on Jewel of the Seas for $56.99/day +gratuity.  Senior rate. 

$1210 for 2 people on a 9 day cruise, March 1-10.  

I figure....2 fresh squeezed OJs at breakfast.  a Bloody Mary morning or two or mimosas, etc, Playmakers Burger and a Fosters' Oil Can for lunch, (unless you have Sabor, then jalapeno-cucumber margaritas and tacos!),an aperitif before dinner,  a glass of wine at dinner, because you have to have a nice red with a steak.   Unless you are at 150 Central Park, then you HAVE to have the Urban Martini.  Just because.  A nice port after dinner, with dessert, perhaps the cheese plate. Or a specialty coffee. Or both. 

If I go to the casino, all bets are off!!