rgassen Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Hey all! I'm taking my first cruise as an adult (I was 17 last time I went) with my husband this fall. I'm in debate about the drink packages. I don't drink soda at all, so I'm not really interested in paying for that. But I drink a ton of water, tap is fine - do I have to pay anything for this? Also, can one person buy a drink package without the other? My husband will probably want soda. I was planning to pay for the alcoholic drinks individually - can I get some ideas on how much it is for their tropical cocktails? Thanks in advance! RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 You can get tap water for free throughout the ship and even bring your own bottle for excursions as long as you fill the bottle with a glass rather than directly from the faucet in the buffet area. Royal does not impose requirements that all in the cabin must purchase a package if one has it. Buying as you go works, but you can also add the drink package as long as there are 4 days remaining on your cruise. It won't cover purchases prior to having the package, but it will let you decide if you need one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Steve Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 We are big water drinkers too. There are several options, listed in order from least expensive to most expensive: Bring a water bottle and refill it in the Windjammer. I have a Camelbak Groove water bottle that has a built-in carbon filter, and I fill it in various places around the ship. You can pre-order bottled water packages online in the Cruise Planner. These are various size cases of Evian water in 1-liter bottles. You can buy the Royal Replenish drink package, which includes ALL non-alcoholic drink offerings, including bottled water. That gives you unlimited bottled water, available at any bar on the ship. We have done all of the above on various cruises. On our cruise in September I plan to order a small case of bottled water for my wife and I plan to use the Camelbak Groove water bottle for me. I don't find the drink packages to be worth the money because I can't drink that much, but the $6.50/day Royal Refreshment (unlimited fountain drinks only) is worth the small cost if you drink a lot of soft drinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-y Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 We are big water drinkers too. There are several options, listed in order from least expensive to most expensive: Bring a water bottle and refill it in the Windjammer. I have a Camelbak Groove water bottle that has a built-in carbon filter, and I fill it in various places around the ship. You can pre-order bottled water packages online in the Cruise Planner. These are various size cases of Dasani water in 1-liter bottles. You can buy the Royal Replenish drink package, which includes ALL non-alcoholic drink offerings, including bottled water. That gives you unlimited bottled water, available at any bar on the ship. We have done all of the above on various cruises. On our cruise in September I plan to order a small case of bottled water for my wife and I plan to use the Camelbak Groove water bottle for me. I don't find the drink packages to be worth the money because I can't drink that much, but the $6.50/day Royal Refreshment (unlimited fountain drinks only) is worth the small cost if you drink a lot of soft drinks. I went to the Cruise Planner and can only find Evian. $39 for 12 bottles delivered to your cabin, which is ridiculous. Steve, can you direct me to the Dasani? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 You might have some more options in the cruise planner as you get closer to your cruise. Unless you are cruising in few weeks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 Tropical cocktails usually range around $10-12 plus grats.,...very expensive. It only takes 3-4 drinks a day, plus anything else you might enjoy like bottled water or wine to equal what you would pay for a drink package. Both do not need to buy the package in the room. Please note that if you are in a ship that has the freestyle Coke machines, there are all kinds of flavored water options(Dasani) as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Steve Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 cruise-y I misspoke on the Dasani, I meant to say Evian. I have corrected my original post. Yes it's a ridiculous price but a little cheaper than buying as you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgassen Posted July 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Good to know, thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Vitale Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 Actually it's not all THAT ridiculous. A litre bottle of Evian is probably a $2 item if you bought it at a convenience store. $39 for a 12 pack comes to a little over $3 each. Relatively speaking, that's not bad. Galveston Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-y Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 True, although it's $46 for a 12 pack with the 18% gratuity added. I just bought it. I would have been happy with a lesser brand water at a cheaper price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-y Posted July 28, 2015 Report Share Posted July 28, 2015 It's $4.50 out of the room mini bar. So not much difference. Are there ice machines on the floors? And ice buckets? I assume my 12 pack of Evian is not going to fit in the mini fridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 It's $4.50 out of the room mini bar. So not much difference. Are there ice machines on the floors? And ice buckets? I assume my 12 pack of Evian is not going to fit in the mini fridge No ice machines but there are buckets. Your stateroom attendant can fill it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise-y Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Just wanted to follow-up on this topic. The 12-pack turned out to be huge quart bottles, not regular single-serve bottles as I expected. So that made the 12-pack price more than reasonable, of course. But quart bottles are heavy to carry around (especially in a back-pack on a hiking excursion) and get hot before you can drink them up. We ended up leaving 3 in our cabin, unused. Although the price was certainly fair, I didn't like it the way the bottles were sized. Just MOP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 10, 2015 Report Share Posted August 10, 2015 Just wanted to follow-up on this topic. The 12-pack turned out to be huge quart bottles, not regular single-serve bottles as I expected. So that made the 12-pack price more than reasonable, of course. But quart bottles are heavy to carry around (especially in a back-pack on a hiking excursion) and get hot before you can drink them up. We ended up leaving 3 in our cabin, unused. Although the price was certainly fair, I didn't like it the way the bottles were sized. Just MOP. If the worst you can say is they give you too much for what you pay, I would say that is a good problem! If you are interested in smaller bottles, I would recommend buying them a la carte from the bars or purchasing one of the drink packages that includes them. DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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