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Deluxe Drink Packages


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To the best of my knowledge Royal does not have a timer that stops you from ordering.

Years ago I struck up a conversation with one of the head bartenders and he was explaining to me that they look at patterns like multiple drinks within 15 minutes as a flag of possible drink sharing violations. However, given how much the onboard staff goes out of its way to not challenge rule breakers, I am pretty sure that monitoring the drink package usage in that way is just an exercise not something they actually use for anything constructive.

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I have never purchased a beverage package before, but my husband and I have for our trip on Anthem in February. What happens when they offer a buy one get one free "drink-of-the-day" and you have the Ultimate Beverage Package? Will they give you both drinks at once or do I have finish one before they will give me the second? I like to take the drinks back to the room and relax on the balcony...

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On 11/5/2017 at 3:02 PM, rjac said:

So, does anyone here know how much time that is? And, is it the same for beer, wine, liquor, fancy drinks, etc.?:27_sunglasses:

I wasn't the one who posted about the time.  That was part of a post that I quoted when I was doing a reply.  I have no idea about time between drinks as I just order when I want one.  Sorry, I can't help you.

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  • 1 month later...
25 minutes ago, jennybean said:

New cruiser here. I'm interested in the deluxe drink package but online it says it includes drinks up to $12. Does this mean if the drink is over $12 I have to pay the full price of it? Or will they cover the first $12 and I would just pay the difference?

Just the difference.  If you want to splurge one night and have a $17 glass of wine you are only charged $5 if you have the deluxe drink package.

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7 hours ago, jennybean said:

New cruiser here. I'm interested in the deluxe drink package but online it says it includes drinks up to $12. Does this mean if the drink is over $12 I have to pay the full price of it? Or will they cover the first $12 and I would just pay the difference?

It covers up to $13 dollars on oasis and quantum class. 

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On 11/6/2017 at 10:11 PM, Lauren said:

I have never purchased a beverage package before, but my husband and I have for our trip on Anthem in February. What happens when they offer a buy one get one free "drink-of-the-day" and you have the Ultimate Beverage Package? Will they give you both drinks at once or do I have finish one before they will give me the second? I like to take the drinks back to the room and relax on the balcony...

I'm fairly certain the BOGO doesn't apply with the Drink Packages - it would be that you have to order one drink at the time since you aren't technically "buying one" to get one free... you already prepaid the drinks. 

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On 11/6/2017 at 10:11 PM, Lauren said:

I have never purchased a beverage package before, but my husband and I have for our trip on Anthem in February. What happens when they offer a buy one get one free "drink-of-the-day" and you have the Ultimate Beverage Package? Will they give you both drinks at once or do I have finish one before they will give me the second? I like to take the drinks back to the room and relax on the balcony...

The BOGO coupons do not apply to drink packages. If you want to take advantage of BOGO offer, you'd need to pay for the drink outside of the drink package benefits.

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  • 1 month later...

 We were lucky  I was able to buy the deluxe drink package for my wife and I got the refreshment package because I don’t drink but I see now as of January 1 all adults over 21 must have the deluxe drink package whether you use it or not so I guess I lucked out getting it prior to the new rule otherwise my wife would not be getting it and we would have to pay for her drinks one by one 

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23 minutes ago, Gailforce2000 said:

 We were lucky  I was able to buy the deluxe drink package for my wife and I got the refreshment package because I don’t drink but I see now as of January 1 all adults over 21 must have the deluxe drink package whether you use it or not so I guess I lucked out getting it prior to the new rule otherwise my wife would not be getting it and we would have to pay for her drinks one by one 

Welcome to the message board!

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Perhaps this is just me, but I don't drink near enough to make this package work. I find the drinks to be fairly inexpensive, especially compared to drinking in a restaurant. Between my wife and I, according to my math, I can't get anywhere near enough alcohol in my system to make this economical. Carnival used to have a wine flight package that we loved: You could by 5 or more bottles of wine at a "discounted" price at the beginning of the cruise, and thy would bring them out for you at dinner or in bars throughout the cruise. Then, if you had wine left over (presumably unopened: We drank all of ours) you would just take it off the ship. I haven't seen it, but a smaller "drinks with dinner" type package would appeal to people like me, too. Something like $20-$24 a day, and it covers 2 or 3 drinks with dinner.... 

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2 hours ago, UkuleleCruiser said:

Perhaps this is just me, but I don't drink near enough to make this package work. I find the drinks to be fairly inexpensive, especially compared to drinking in a restaurant. Between my wife and I, according to my math, I can't get anywhere near enough alcohol in my system to make this economical. Carnival used to have a wine flight package that we loved: You could by 5 or more bottles of wine at a "discounted" price at the beginning of the cruise, and thy would bring them out for you at dinner or in bars throughout the cruise. Then, if you had wine left over (presumably unopened: We drank all of ours) you would just take it off the ship. I haven't seen it, but a smaller "drinks with dinner" type package would appeal to people like me, too. Something like $20-$24 a day, and it covers 2 or 3 drinks with dinner.... 

RCL used to have that kind of wine package. I found it worked well, but as soon as the drink packages came out they disappeared. However, some of the dining packages allow you to buy bottles of wine at a discount (40% off bottles under $100 and 20% off bottles over $100) when in the specialty restaurants. I don''t believe there is a restriction on how many bottles you can buy and take them(?) with you.

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On 1/16/2018 at 8:59 PM, Gears said:

RCL used to have that kind of wine package. I found it worked well, but as soon as the drink packages came out they disappeared. However, some of the dining packages allow you to buy bottles of wine at a discount (40% off bottles under $100 and 20% off bottles over $100) when in the specialty restaurants. I don''t believe there is a restriction on how many bottles you can buy and take them(?) with you.

There bottle prices aren't that bad. I suppose you can always "do it yourself" for a wine flight.... I imagine the corking fee is included if we buy it from RC?

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On 1/17/2018 at 8:57 AM, JamesGurner said:

I’m sailing on Indy three times this year..... every drink pacakage is a different price for all 3 cruises?

The one for May is £55 per day? If I buy it onboard it’s $65 dollars which works out around £47. I may aswell wait and book onboard.

Confusing prices!

I understand the more you drink, the less confusing it is! :-)

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21 minutes ago, UkuleleCruiser said:

I'm gonna take another look tonight. Maybe I'll build my own drink package! 

Have a look in Cruise Planner. In your reservation there is a tab at the top 'Cruise Planner'. Click on that, BUT...don't click on get started. Scroll down to "Shop Royal Gifts".

Under 'Choose a Category' pick On Board Delivery, then Choose a Category again and choose Wine Cellar.

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9 minutes ago, Joe B said:

I read a article on the Royal Caribbean site yesterday stating you can request a waiver from this beverage pkg policy.

They have really clamped down on this.  From what I know, currently, even if you are exempted you would still have to purchase the refreshment package for the adult who is exempted.

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7 minutes ago, Joe B said:

Thanks for the reply. Is a Beverage Pkg worth the $$$$?  I enjoy a few beers once and a while. I find it hard to believe we have to pay for bottled water and OJ. What's next...Fresh Air Pkg?

Ever watch "The Lorax"?  lol.  That's what that last comment reminds me of.

There is lots of debate over whether or not it is worth it.  We personally have gone with and without in the past.  Lately we have gone with it.  It is nice not having to keep tabs on drinks and have a constant supply of bottled water in our stateroom (we drink a lot of water so that alone makes it worthwhile for us).  And it's not just alcohol, it's all your premium coffee, smoothies (without protein powder), fresh juices.  @Matt wrote a piece about it just this past week for more info.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-beverage-package-costs-info-tips

With the changes now to the package, that every adult has to get one, we will likely reconsider yet again.  My husband doesn't really drink much of anything other than water so even the refreshment package doesn't make sense for him.  Another thing to consider is how long your cruise is.  A shorter cruise it might make more sense but with a long one, drink fatigue might set in as well.  Hope that helps a bit.

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3 minutes ago, rjac said:

Also take into consideration the itinerary. If you are going to spend a lot of days off board in non Royal locations, ie, Labadee, Coco Cay, a drink package may not be for you.:27_sunglasses:

Oh, good point.  Forgot that one.  That's what happens when you are lazy cruisers like us and don't even get off on port days ?

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2 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Oh, good point.  Forgot that one.  That's what happens when you are lazy cruisers like us and don't even get off on port days ?

We don't get off on some cruises. We have a great time reading and talking with each other. We have busy schedules at home. My husband calls it Love Time. 

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8 minutes ago, Sweety said:

We don't get off on some cruises. We have a great time reading and talking with each other. We have busy schedules at home. My husband calls it Love Time. 

That sounds a lot like us.  With both of us working and running around with tweens, we cherish our once a year kid free cruise.  We would gladly take a cruise to nowhere but I have learned from @twangster why those do not really happen any more.

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11 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Ever watch "The Lorax"?  lol.  That's what that last comment reminds me of.

There is lots of debate over whether or not it is worth it.  We personally have gone with and without in the past.  Lately we have gone with it.  It is nice not having to keep tabs on drinks and have a constant supply of bottled water in our stateroom (we drink a lot of water so that alone makes it worthwhile for us).  And it's not just alcohol, it's all your premium coffee, smoothies (without protein powder), fresh juices.  @Matt wrote a piece about it just this past week for more info.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-beverage-package-costs-info-tips

With the changes now to the package, that every adult has to get one, we will likely reconsider yet again.  My husband doesn't really drink much of anything other than water so even the refreshment package doesn't make sense for him.  Another thing to consider is how long your cruise is.  A shorter cruise it might make more sense but with a long one, drink fatigue might set in as well.  Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks for all the info.  We will be on a 7 day cruise to Alaska. Being from Las Vegas and having a dry climate we also drink lots of water. I drink 8-10 16oz bottles a day (especially in Summer). My wife might have a occasional glass of wine or a beer but drinks more water and soda.  I also read that you might get discounted Beverage Packages if you apply on line but that is controlled by the cruise line (which means never).  

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8 hours ago, Joe B said:

Thanks for all the info.  We will be on a 7 day cruise to Alaska. Being from Las Vegas and having a dry climate we also drink lots of water. I drink 8-10 16oz bottles a day (especially in Summer). My wife might have a occasional glass of wine or a beer but drinks more water and soda.  I also read that you might get discounted Beverage Packages if you apply on line but that is controlled by the cruise line (which means never).  

Every once in a while they offer 20% or so off the on board reg. price.  Sale prices have ranged lately from as low as $41/day to about $53/day.  There's no logic to it.  It varies greatly by ship and sailing.  You just have to keep checking your cruise planner.  We once took a poll here on these boards and many of us check it daily or at least several times a week.  If you see a discount, you can always buy it and cancel and re-price it if it goes lower.  Your cruise planner closes 3 days prior to sailing so you can do it as often as needed before then.  That still doesn't solve your problem of needing to purchase for you and your wife though. 

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On ‎1‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 1:31 PM, rjac said:

Also take into consideration the itinerary. If you are going to spend a lot of days off board in non Royal locations, ie, Labadee, Coco Cay, a drink package may not be for you.:27_sunglasses:

WHAT??...When did this happen? I have been selling ppl on looking into Royal and using that as one reason why.

 

Please tell me that this is either wrong or I am missing something??!

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25 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

WHAT??...When did this happen? I have been selling ppl on looking into Royal and using that as one reason why.

 

Please tell me that this is either wrong or I am missing something??!

I believe the OP had a typo and meant to say the opposite of what was actually typed.

AFAIK, Labadee and CocoCay still honor the drink package ... so a cruise that includes one of them has an extra "sea" day in terms of included drinking, vs. being onshore in a non-RCI port and paying your own way.

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41 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

WHAT??...When did this happen? I have been selling ppl on looking into Royal and using that as one reason why.

 

Please tell me that this is either wrong or I am missing something??!

I think @rjac meant non Royal locations (other than Cococay, labadee) then your drink package would be wasted on those port days.

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On 1/21/2018 at 11:56 AM, Joe B said:

Is a Beverage Pkg worth the $$$$?  I enjoy a few beers once and a while.

If you're only planning to have a few beers here and there, and don't expect to be having any wine, mixed drinks / umbrella-decorated beverages, espresso-based coffee beverages, or fresh-squeezed juice, then skipping the Deluxe Beverage Package might not be a bad idea. The package covers $12 or $13 per drink, and going by the menus others have posted the typical beer on board goes for $8 or $9. You'd have to drink a lot of beers and non-alchoholic "premium" beverages every day to hit a reasonable "break even" point vs. the typical daily price of the Deluxe package.

At the lowest package price I've seen on Cruise Planner ($42 / day), that's something like 3 or 4 beers every day along with a couple each of premium coffees, bottled waters, and maybe a "mocktail" during the day or a fresh-squeezed juice or two with breakfast. That might be reasonable, depending on your beer drinking habits, preferences for those other beverages, and how much time you spend in the Alaskan ports / off the ship

At the more-typical $55 / day, you're looking at 4 or 5 beers every single day along with those extra non-alcoholic premium items; I'd imagine that on a port-intensive trip like Alaska, that starts getting problematic.

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OK, Here's the skivvy on how you can sort of build your own drink package without going completely broke:

I checked the wine celler on board the Liberty, and found the following available on the low end:

Cabernet -- $42

Reisling -- $38

Sparkling Wine (Cheap Champagne) -- $35

So, if you bought a mix over the course of the cruise for all seven nights, I came up with: $230 (note: we are booked into chefs table, so alcohol included that night. your mileage may vary)

If you bring on two bottles of cabernet, there will be $30 in corkage fees, but you would take $84 off the budget. New total: $176

If you brought two bottles of wine on, and bought just sparkling wine each night: $170

This is considerably cheaper then an all inclusive drink package. It also assumes you are a fairly light drinker: Maybe just a couple drinks at dinner. We would still be buying drinks at other day parts if we wanted too.

Plus, we can either buy this ahead of time if we choose, or buy a bottle each night at dinner...

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10 hours ago, JLMoran said:

At my peak drinking I will have no more than 4 beers a day or less. Probably 8 to 10 bottles of water between my wife and I per day.  Don't need the premium coffee part. But if my wife is in the mood for a Latte we could buy those coffees if needed.  I don't drink soda but my wife does and not that much.  I think overall we could just pay as we go and maybe spent $500 for the week for the both of us tops probably less. If we are lucky enough to get the $41/day packages we might check them out.

Thank you for the tips.

Joe B

 

 

If you're only planning to have a few beers here and there, and don't expect to be having any wine, mixed drinks / umbrella-decorated beverages, espresso-based coffee beverages, or fresh-squeezed juice, then skipping the Deluxe Beverage Package might not be a bad idea. The package covers $12 or $13 per drink, and going by the menus others have posted the typical beer on board goes for $8 or $9. You'd have to drink a lot of beers and non-alchoholic "premium" beverages every day to hit a reasonable "break even" point vs. the typical daily price of the Deluxe package.

At the lowest package price I've seen on Cruise Planner ($42 / day), that's something like 3 or 4 beers every day along with a couple each of premium coffees, bottled waters, and maybe a "mocktail" during the day or a fresh-squeezed juice or two with breakfast. That might be reasonable, depending on your beer drinking habits, preferences for those other beverages, and how much time you spend in the Alaskan ports / off the ship

At the more-typical $55 / day, you're looking at 4 or 5 beers every single day along with those extra non-alcoholic premium items; I'd imagine that on a port-intensive trip like Alaska, that starts getting problematic.

 

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