Drink package and exemptions

[Lovetocruise2002]

FYI...Thanks to the daily checking of my cruise planner , I noticed that the drink package for our sailing (Anthem-March 9, 2018) is down to $43/day.  It was at $55/day yesterday still.  I decided to jump on it and not wait for the Black Friday sale that may or may not come.  Anyway, I called RC because like some of you have mentioned, I needed an exemption because my husband does not drink due to medical reason.  Thought this was going to be easy from the comments I read over the last few days...

The agent I spoke to refused to exempt my husband.  He said the only way it would work is if I purchased the deluxe but he would at least have to purchase the refreshment package.  Thank goodness for the blog @Matt did a few days ago along with whoever provided a copy of that email because again I had to speak to a supervisor and quote the email directly.  In the end it all worked out but it was not as smooth sailing for me as it was for others.

[twangster]

That may have been my email I forwarded to Matt.  

I imagine its hard to get the word out and have all agents understand unique things like exemptions to brand new policy.

Good feedback. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

8 minutes ago, twangster said:

That may have been my email I forwarded to Matt.  

I imagine its hard to get the word out and have all agents understand unique things like exemptions to brand new policy.

Good feedback. 

I knew it was you @twangster!  Just did not want to reveal it if you weren't going to ;)  the sail date was the giveaway...

But yes, I agree, just like when the NRD policy rolled out, I think not all agents are up to speed.  Even now I find many of them are not clear on the policies.

[Boston Babe]

1 hour ago, Sabrinaklai said:

FYI...Thanks to the daily checking of my cruise planner , I noticed that the drink package for our sailing (Anthem-March 9, 2018) is down to $43/day.  It was at $55/day yesterday still.  I decided to jump on it and not wait for the Black Friday sale that may or may not come.  Anyway, I called RC because like some of you have mentioned, I needed an exemption because my husband does not drink due to medical reason.  Thought this was going to be easy from the comments I read over the last few days...

The agent I spoke to refused to exempt my husband.  He said the only way it would work is if I purchased the deluxe but he would at least have to purchase the refreshment package.  Thank goodness for the blog @Matt did a few days ago along with whoever provided a copy of that email because again I had to speak to a supervisor and quote the email directly.  In the end it all worked out but it was not as smooth sailing for me as it was for others.

HI Sabrina, I'm curious, maybe you know or @twangster if you do see the sale on the beverage package how long does it usually stay on Cruise Planner, in case for whatever reason you don't sign in everyday.

[Lovetocruise2002]

5 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

HI Sabrina, I'm curious, maybe you know or @twangster if you do see the sale on the beverage package how long does it usually stay on Cruise Planner, in case for whatever reason you don't sign in everyday.

Don't really know for that one but someone else might have a better idea. All I can tell you is that for our last cruise on Harmony it was $55 then for Black Friday it went 30%off and then it went to $46 and stayed like that until sailing. Perhaps it depends how well the packages are selling on a particular sailing? But I am big on FOMO so once it see it I don't think about it for long lol. 

[Boston Babe]

LOL you sound like me!! I drive my travel agent nuts!!!

57 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Don't really know for that one but someone else might have a better idea. All I can tell you is that for our last cruise on Harmony it was $55 then for Black Friday it went 30%off and then it went to $46 and stayed like that until sailing. Perhaps it depends how well the packages are selling on a particular sailing? But I am big on FOMO so once it see it I don't think about it for long lol. 

LOL you sound like me! I drive my travel agent absolutely nuts!!

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Boston Babe said:

HI Sabrina, I'm curious, maybe you know or @twangster if you do see the sale on the beverage package how long does it usually stay on Cruise Planner, in case for whatever reason you don't sign in everyday.

RCI appears to do a lot of analytics, study sales trends, trying to predict purchasing trends.  At times I've had multiple bookings and all had different prices for drink packages.  In other forums you people post they saw it for $X then some one on the same ship a week later sees it for $Y.  For my Allure cruise in May it was $46 for months, then a month out that disappeared and you could only buy it bundled with Voom.  We were in a suite that included Voom so I didn't want to do that.  A week before sailing it re-appeared at $46 on its own.  Weird.

So the answer is... I don't know.  The good news if you buy it and then see it cheaper, refund it and buy it again at the lower price.  

[Boston Babe]

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

RCI appears to do a lot of analytics, study sales trends, trying to predict purchasing trends.  At times I've had multiple bookings and all had different prices for drink packages.  In other forums you people post they saw it for $X then some one on the same ship a week later sees it for $Y.  For my Allure cruise in May it was $46 for months, then a month out that disappeared and you could only buy it bundled with Voom.  We were in a suite that included Voom so I didn't want to do that.  A week before sailing it re-appeared at $46 on its own.  Weird.

So the answer is... I don't know.  The good news if you buy it and then see it cheaper, refund it and buy it again at the lower price.  

Thanks so much Twangster! It's so frustrating but the more I think about it, unless it's a real sale I might not bother. We are in a Suite, so we have Concierge, and I will have about $400 OBC too by the time we sail. But again, I also don't want to think about that 4th bottle of water that I drink all day either!

[twangster]

30 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

Thanks so much Twangster! It's so frustrating but the more I think about it, unless it's a real sale I might not bother. We are in a Suite, so we have Concierge, and I will have about $400 OBC too by the time we sail. But again, I also don't want to think about that 4th bottle of water that I drink all day either!

Which ship?  What kind of suite?  The reason I ask is because some newer ships have a suite lounge that often has complimentary beer & wine and a daily cocktail hour.  

[Lovetocruise2002]

48 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

Thanks so much Twangster! It's so frustrating but the more I think about it, unless it's a real sale I might not bother. We are in a Suite, so we have Concierge, and I will have about $400 OBC too by the time we sail. But again, I also don't want to think about that 4th bottle of water that I drink all day either!

If I were in a suite on an Oasis class ship and I had a $400obc I would probably think twice too. You can get complimentary cocktails and beverages from the suite lounge. But I find with the package it's just more convenient and it gives me an excuse to try things I wouldn't usually. I find that a lot of my usage goes to water bottles, smoothies, and specialty coffee and it makes it worthwhile. On my next Harmony cruise in July 2018 it is still $55 so no way to predict it. I always go with the thinking to just buy it now (if you have already decided you want it) and re book later if the price drops. 

[mom2mybugs]

11 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

FYI...Thanks to the daily checking of my cruise planner , I noticed that the drink package for our sailing (Anthem-March 9, 2018) is down to $43/day.  It was at $55/day yesterday still.  I decided to jump on it and not wait for the Black Friday sale that may or may not come.  

I really really love this site!   I have been checking for days and at every cruise planet sale and the drink price for the deluxe has always been 55/ day for my March freedom cruise.   I looked at sabrinas post and decided,  ok I will look... won't be different but....   Well, it was down to $45/day for no reason so I hopped to buy.  If I get 30% on black Friday I will cancel and re book, but that saved me 75 dollars a person!   At 45 a day,  that is 3 cocktails, a coffee and a bottled water... even my husband would do that (he drinks a Lot less than I do) so I can justify the 2 adult pkg.  Wondering if pkg purchases were down with the 2 adult thing...but it's a long time till March.  Nothing else was on sale.    Thanks for posting...i never would have gone on today!  Jane 

[JBC]

Ditto on that!  I am on Harmony in February, and have been checking once a week or so on drink packages.  Was at $55 for ever, then after their policy change it dropped to $46.  Now I checked today after reading the above posts and it is at $43.  I have never seen it that low, even on black friday sales.  They must be lowering the price a little now that they are requiring all adults to purchase it (if one does).  With the gratuity that amounts to about $50 a day, which is pretty easy to get to.

[JLMoran]

Also going to ditto that. Checked four days in a row, and only this morning did I finally see a price drop (also to $43). Bought my Deluxe Package today, at the "cost" of also having to buy my wife her Refreshment Package that she wanted at the same time, instead of doing that on next month's billing cycle; the rep at Royal's cruise planner number said this was what I'd have to do, even with a note that she cannot drink, for me to purchase the Deluxe Package for myself.

I know Matt's earlier blog posting about this did clearly show that with an exception, no additional purchase needs to be made. But since my wife did want that package, I didn't really feel like arguing the point and then having to argue it again next month on the new billing cycle.

[DocLC]

Does anyone thing that perhaps they lowered the price of the package to coincide with the requirement that all adults in the cabin must not buy it?  Maybe to soften the blow of the new policy?

[JLMoran]

@DocLC, I think that’s exactly right. Especially since this doesn’t show up with any kind of promotional “SALE” banner or other discounts on any other items. They probably found during the trial period that they got enough buy-in to more than offset the “breakage” they were getting from sharing. Maybe enough that they could reduce the regular price for everyone and still come out ahead.

What will be interesting is to see if there are further discounts on this new rate with holiday promos and the like, or if they now just keep it at $43/day for everyone forever.

[mom2mybugs]

3 hours ago, DocLC said:

Does anyone thing that perhaps they lowered the price of the package to coincide with the requirement that all adults in the cabin must not buy it?  Maybe to soften the blow of the new policy?

Yep...i mentioned that...i think they somehow are trying to make you feel grateful for the money you save buying the 2nd pkg!  In our case though, dropping that 10 really did make it make sense for my husband, so total win for us! Jane

[JBC]

They got me to buy a 2nd package with the price drop.  Normally I don't buy it for my wife, but she will drink 2 blender type drinks in a typical day, and usually a glass of wine at dinner, and then another drink or two at a show or in the evening.  I get decent value out of the package for myself even at full prices, so now it's made it a little closer for her, and I will get even more value than normal out of it.  Plus I don't have to bring bottles of wine on board or worry about my on board account with her drinks.

We will see if they discount it further with a "sale", but if they did, I would be surprised.  Assuming the gratuities go completely to the servers, $43 a day is 4-5 drinks.  I think most people that drink alcohol can get to that point on a cruise.  Another thing to think about is drinks in the MDR and at the pool.  Drink service in the MDR is probably the slowest anywhere on the whole ship, followed by poolside.  Now you will have even more people looking for a drink with dinner and at the pool.  I hope they add some drink servers to these spots for sure.         

[rjac]

16 minutes ago, JBC said:

Drink service in the MDR is probably the slowest anywhere on the whole ship, followed by poolside. 

There is a way to speed this service up. If the same waiter/waitress/barperson is going to be the same for the duration of the cruise, tip them generously the first day.

[mbk999]

As I listened to the podcast on the morning commute, i was mentally calculating the options as to how best to work it, but then I heard Matt mention the exemption.  My plan was the deluxe for me and the refreshment package for my wife anyway so it sounds like I can still do that.  Bit of a pain to have to call and get the exemption but not unlike mailing in a rebate check after a purchase.

[DocLC]

8 hours ago, mbk999 said:

As I listened to the podcast on the morning commute, i was mentally calculating the options as to how best to work it, but then I heard Matt mention the exemption.  My plan was the deluxe for me and the refreshment package for my wife anyway so it sounds like I can still do that.  Bit of a pain to have to call and get the exemption but not unlike mailing in a rebate check after a purchase.

If she had any interest in a couple of glasses of wine per day or a couple of margaritas, the package at the current prices could be beneficial financially. If she won't drink alcohol at all, then your plan makes sense. 

[jticarruthers]

21 hours ago, rjac said:

There is a way to speed this service up. If the same waiter/waitress/barperson is going to be the same for the duration of the cruise, tip them generously the first day.

Heck, im lucky if I even see a barperson in the MDR once a cruise, never mind the same one each night !

[JBC]

1 hour ago, jticarruthers said:

Heck, im lucky if I even see a barperson in the MDR once a cruise, never mind the same one each night !

This has been my experience as well.  I always grab a glass of wine on my way in to the MDR, and then will tell our server to please send the bar server over when they can.  By the time that happens and they actually return with drinks, my wine is long gone and we are well into the meal.  There are also usually no less than 25 cards and slips on the servers tray as well, they are just covering too many tables.  This is fine, two glasses of wine is enough for me at dinner, I don't need to be pounding drinks at dinner.  

I am also a big advocate of tip well and tip early for better drink service, and this works in the bars and at the pool.  I just don't think it would work in the MDR.  The logistics are too difficult.  

[Hutcherl]

2 hours ago, jticarruthers said:

Heck, im lucky if I even see a barperson in the MDR once a cruise, never mind the same one each night !

How about the pool deck?  Since the drink packages started, pool deck bar service is almost nonexistent.   If you do catch one you might not be thirsty by the time you receive you drink.  Not a fault of the server.  They are just overwhelmed.  Back in the day they were all over waiting to earn additional tips. 

 

 

[DocLC]

I can't speak for the pool deck as I've never been patient enough to wait even since I began cruising in the '90s. However, we had excellent bar service on the Allure in the showroom and ended up ordering an extra, unexpected drink since the device was so good. 

[mbk999]

14 hours ago, DocLC said:

If she had any interest in a couple of glasses of wine per day or a couple of margaritas, the package at the current prices could be beneficial financially. If she won't drink alcohol at all, then your plan makes sense. 

Non-alcoholic drinks.  lots of bottled water, fresh squeezed oj every day.  I pretty much break even (couple pool drinks, pre-dinner cocktail, glass of wine, after dinner drink).  I know RCI makes a little money off of her but i just look at it as a convenience factor of not having an additional bill at the end. 

[DocLC]

Just now, mbk999 said:

Non-alcoholic drinks.  lots of bottled water, fresh squeezed oj every day.  I pretty much break even (couple pool drinks, pre-dinner cocktail, glass of wine, after dinner drink).  I know RCI makes a little money off of her but i just look at it as a convenience factor of not having an additional bill at the end. 

Then the nonalcohol package, which is the one I opt for, sounds like it makes the most sense. 

[mbk999]

Just now, DocLC said:

Then the nonalcohol package, which is the one I opt for, sounds like it makes the most sense. 

worked out fine in April.  If I broke out the spreadsheet and looked at it per drink, might save $50 for the week by not getting it.  But then I'd just be keeping a mental calculation going in my head and I'm trying to purge as much stress as possible while on-board.  

[Mcohen1993]

How do you cancel and rebook your drink package? I splurged at the 55/day price on a new credit card and am thinking it over. If it goes down even slightly I save so much 

[Matt]

9 hours ago, Mcohen1993 said:

How do you cancel and rebook your drink package? I splurged at the 55/day price on a new credit card and am thinking it over. If it goes down even slightly I save so much 

Here are instructions: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/10/29/how-cancel-and-rebook-pre-cruise-purchases-royal-caribbeans-cruise-planner

[Frostme]

Hi all, so after seeing this tread I tried to get an exemption and basically got a big fat no! Email response below 

 

[mickjacket]

Thankful they have the exemption just hope people don't abuse it!!

 

[snewzer]

Just for info... called today and had no problems whatsoever in purchasing drinks package for one person only. Myself and wife do not drink on medical reasons but my daughter does. I think they can tell if you are genuine or not. They did ask if I would like to purchase the refreshment package for the other people in the stateroom but I declined. Purchase went ahead without a hitch and shown on my cruise planner within seconds.

[jticarruthers]

Found an accidental work around on this issue this week ...

Had two cabins booked ... two adults in one cabin with and one adult and a teen in the 2nd.

Bought drink package for all 3.

Called in to have one of the adults swapped from the 1st cabin to the 2nd and the teen moved the other way.

System cancelled the drink package purchased for passenger 2 in cabin 1 and DID NOT require the purchase of a drink package for adult 2 now in cabin 2.

So at this point i have 1 adult with the package in each cabin and the 2nd adult in cabin 2 does not have it.

Actually buying the package today for that adult since she did want it anyway and its back on "sale" again but wanted to pass along the process in case anyone wants to try and do it on purpose.