When Should You Skip The Drink Package On a Cruise? Soft drink is served by the glass (16 ounces); juice is served by the glass (10 ounces). Weve seen similar promotions offering a $100 top-up. The best way to determine if a drink package is right for you is to calculate how much you would be spending on drinks. I got the drink package as a perk, for me it will be worth it as I do like to drink well on vacation. Your analysis is not very useful without the list of brands excluded (or included), which seems to be permanently unavailable. On Australia cruises, the package costs 113.99 Australian dollars ($76.03) per day. Click here for information on drink packages. So, unless you and your cabin mate can consistently drink 11+ alcoholic beverages a day, then it would not be worth buying the Norwegian Cruise Line drink package. Although packages and prices vary from cruise line to cruise line, some of these packages can cost more than your actual cruise fare! Passengers who purchase the drink package should be aware that there is a limit to the number of drinks you can order in a 24-hour time span. Explore more of the shore with $50 USD Discount Per Port Shore Excursions. The 20% service charge for a 7-day cruise will cost each guest $138.60 for the Premium Beverage package. There is no limit to the number of bottles passengers can bring onboard. Have another, we won't tell.*. This drink package includes everything in the Premium beverage package, along with other higher end offerings. Premium Beverage Package - Starting at the hefty price of $99 per day (plus 20% service charge), Norwegian 's Premium Beverage Package includes any wines, beers or cocktails priced at $15 or less per glass. You aren't charged for any gratuities when you actually get the drinks. Learn More Free Wi-Fi anytime you want with Bottomless Bubbles. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. If you purchase a drink that costs more than the limit, most cruise lines will only have you pay the difference and the gratuity on the difference. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. As part of its drinks package price hike on Jan. 1, Norwegian will also raise the cost of a less-expensive drinks package it offers that has a $15 cap on the price level of drinks that can be ordered. The premium package covers nearly every drink served by the glass for up to $15 per drink. Most cruise lines require all guests sharing a cabin to purchase the same beverage plan to prevent sharing between friends and family. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. The cost of alcoholic drinks on cruise vessels particularly cocktails can be pricey. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Carnival Cruise Line Australia Alcohol Policy, 10 Cruise Alcohol Hacks for Better Drinking on the Cheap. This happens for every drink you have on the package. Limitations related to drink cost: Cannot be used for drinks priced over $13. And again, thats if you are drinking the more expensive drinks and cocktails. All lattes and cappuccinos incurred a charge. Especially if you do shots in between beers. No votes so far! Bring the whole family and pay only taxes for 3rd and 4th guests on select cruises. Some cruise lines offer a classic soda package or non-alcoholic drink package, which we wont cover in this article. These have bubbles, but theyre not sparkling water. The Norwegian beverage package is an excellent value for those who want to enjoy a lot of drinks for a low price. There are also a number of other restrictions to bear in mind before diving in and booking that booze-inclusive package. With the My Drinks Plus package, guests receive premium cocktails, mini bar purchases, prestigious liquor brands, and bottled Corona and Becks. The package also brings a 20% discount to wine-pairing dinners on Oceanias Marina and Riviera. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions, C858B0A9-6769-424D-B129-59363EDAC023.jpeg, B5073042-BF8A-4EEC-BD19-0938D8732763.jpeg. Home / Cruise Tips / Is the Drink Package Worth it on a Cruise? Unlike most cruise lines, the price of Royal Caribbeans beverage package varies depending on the individual itinerary. Package, which covers nearly every beverage -- alcoholic or non-alcoholic -- on the ship, up to $20 per drink. All qualifying individuals in the stateroom or additional staterooms under the same method of payment must purchase one. So as long as you don't share and behave yourself you can drink as much as you want. includes nearly all of the beverages onboard Carnival cruise ships. Drink packages are entirely optional and usually not needed for most cruisers. What Drinks Are Free On Norwegian Cruise Lines? - Elite Cruises What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, spirits, mixed drinks, cocktails, soda, juices, nonalcoholic cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffees, teas and premium bottled water. So, comparing $13.80 daily to $9.54 daily, the full-priced Adult Soda Package is $4.26 per day. And if you wait until the second day, you will still be paying for the first two days of sailing, even though you didnt use the package. Just kidding around, but that would be a hard thing to accomplish. My husband did max out once on a sea day, but a couple of the drinks he had "bought" for one of the entertainment staff that we had made friends with [a couple beers while he was singing in the bar], and a couple drinks that had gone to waste when you take a couple sips and decide that it just didn't taste good. Soda Package. Norwegian Non-Alcoholic Drinks and their specialty coffees. That is a question that only you can answer based on your own drinking habits. That's unlimited wine, soda, beer and cocktails priced under $15. Your beverage package will cover a glass of wine as long as it is below the maximum price per drink. Celebrity Cruises offers its Classic and Premium Package. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. The Norwegian Cruise Line Premium Drink Package includes a variety of spirits, cocktails, and wines by the glass and bottled or draft beer up to $15. In our experience, the drink package on a cruise ship is not worth it for most passengers. To complete these analyses, we tracked all of our beverages consumed over a 7-day cruise. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By Cost per day: $64.95 when purchased on board, not including an 18% automatic gratuity charge; $59.95 plus the gratuity charge when purchased in advance of sailing. Norwegian recently updated its beverage package selection and added a new package option. In retrospect, one possible way to address that would be to bring our own, Another option would be to decline the free package altogether (or make a different choice if there were other options available), and pay for the package that makes sense. Norwegian Cruise Line Beverage Packages: What's Included and is it For a line-by-line guide to drinks package costs, inclusions, limitations and fine print, scroll to the second half of the guide. Other packages: The less expensive Easy Plus package only includes drinks costing up to $9. The cost per day was over $57, which in my opinion isnt a great deal. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. If each stateroom has the same package, the package must be . Enrollment required. Then, we took the average prices for each drink category to determine how much we would have spent on drinks if we paid a la carte for each item. Which Cruise Lines Offer Free Drink Packages Bartenders and bar servers receive a portion of your tips, so they want to make sure you're having a good time. October 19, 2021: Log In Issues. Of course, if you plan to drink more non-alcoholic specialty drinks or like bottles of wine, then this upgrade might be worth it for you. On port intensive cruises, like the Mediterranean, you might find yourself spending long days ashore. Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Packages Guide - Cruise Maven You don't need a drinks package to be able to drink alcoholic beverages or any other type of beverage on a ship. We save on the average of $800 when we choose a regular balcony over the free at sea balcony. I have a 14 day cruise booked and Iam sure I will get my monies worth. I suspect if the system shows 30-35 drinks per person per day (for example) they may also take a closer look Ginnie, Did you ever max out the limit on your Carnival cruise? What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, mixed drinks, specialty cocktails, soda, juices, nonalcoholic cocktails, energy drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, specialty coffees, teas and bottled water. The Corks and Caps Wine and Beer Package, priced at $65 per day, includes beer . Related Post: Beginners Guide to Cruise Planning. While marketed as a limited-time promotion, we often find the promotion available more often than not. Essentially, you will need to decide if you will drink at least $29 a day per person of the additional inclusions. It's easy to run up a monster bill ordering wine, beer and mixed drinks by the glass on a cruise ship. 2023 Guide to Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Packages Carnivals CHEERS! Your email address will not be published. Find the right card for you. But for those who regularly order several alcoholic drinks a day when cruising, there's a way to save: a flat-fee drinks package. You guessed it, you have to pay 20% gratuity on the free soda packages as well. In fact, we would have actually lost $685.20 compared to just paying out of pocket for all our alcoholic beverages. Hawaii-based Pride of America has a single drinks package that costs $99 per day (effective Jan. 1, 2023, prices will increase to $109). In total, we drank 76 drinks that were included in theNorwegian Cruise Line Premium Drink Package. Hi All - I just booked my first cruise with NCL and am getting the UBP. $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline. Wine and Champagne are permitted, but you'll have to pay a corkage fee for any that is consumed onboard in staterooms, bars or restaurants. Several of the biggest cruise lines, including Carnival, Holland America and MSC Cruises, have a rule that if one adult in a cabin orders a drinks package, all adults in the cabin must order the package. Best card for premium perks while traveling, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, Credit card showdown: Alaska Airlines Visa vs. Alaska Airlines Business Visa, Disney Cruise Lines Castaway Club loyalty program: Everything you need to know, 21 new Hyatt hotels where you can get 500 extra points per night. The Truth About Those Expensive Drink Packages Powered by Invision Community. Then again, we may have been having fun but never were out of control. Learn More Free Excursions Save $50 per Shore Excursion, Per Stateroom with Shore Excursion Credits. Food & Drink Norwegian Cruise Line Drinks Packages Norwegian Joy NCL Drinks. What it includes: A large selection of beers including craft beers, wine by the glass, mixed drinks, specialty cocktails, Coca-Cola products, juices, nonalcoholic cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffees, teas and premium bottled water. Enrollment required. The drinks package included in Princess Plus is now called Plus Beverage Package. This equates to a full retail price of $1,075.20 for a 7-day cruise (including 20% service charge). For a simple estimation, figure out what drinks you will consume (beer, wine, soda, whiskey) and how many drinks you will consume daily. Fine print: If one person in a cabin purchases a package, all people in the same cabin or traveling group also must purchase a package (children in cabins will be charged for a less-expensive, nonalcoholic package). If the cost of the drink is more than the allowed value ($15 I think) it is a little more complicated. A relatively newer offering, the Premium Plus beverage package is the most all-inclusive option of the NCL drink packages. So you pay the gratuities upfront. I am passionate about sharing my experience with readers. The majority of town beer shops are open before 8 p.m. or 6 p.m. on weekends. While you might be able to consume enough drinks on sea days to make the package worth the price, youll have to consider the days that you will spend in port. Alcohol advertising is prohibited in Norway, as it is in the United States. I plan on setting a record with most drinks consumed using the UBP! If you wait until youre on the ship to purchase the package, be prepared to pay full price. The package also brings a 20% discount on wine bottle purchases for bottles priced up to $100. Below is a list of included beverages. The Unlimited Open Bar Beverage Package, priced at $99 per day, adds spirits and cocktails priced up to $15 (effective Jan. 1, 2023, pricing will go up to $109). Additionally, package holders receive a 40% discount on wines priced up to $100 and a 20% discount on wines priced above $100. Carnival also has a time limit between drinks. Yes. Fine print: More expensive drinks are available at a 25% discount. Theres a 40% discount on other bottles of wine as well. Norwegian's Free at Sea: The Ultimate Guide - Should Be Cruising Cost per day: $59, not including a 15% gratuity charge. More expensive bottles come with a 20% discount. These Are The Cruise Accessories Youll Absolutely Love! The cruise was 14 days and the package was called their Silver Spirts package. Other packages: The less costly Topmast Discoveries Beer and Wine Package, at $49 per day, includes a choice of beers and premium wines but not spirits and cocktails. Norwegian has no daily limit on the amount of alcohol in its drink packages. Using our numbers, we saved $700.80 total on alcoholic beverages during our 7-day cruise by timing the booking of our cruise with the frequently run Free at Sea promotion. I have been lucky enough to travel on multiple continents, as well as several cruise lines. Elevate your cruise experience with our widest beverage selection onboard, more specialty dining, unlimited Wi-Fi and more shore excursion credits. As a simple rule, if you plan on having 6-8 drinks per day throughout your cruise, the package is worth considering. No, you cannot share the drink package on a cruise. At least it IS better than Holland America, where any drink over $11 is excluded, and you get zero discount from the drink package. Yes. You can not purchase just select days. NCL Drinks Packages: Worth It or Not? (2022) - Cruise Mummy Package name: Silver Spirits Beverage Package. Also, all guests in the same cabin over 18 must purchase this package. Norwegian assesses a gratuity charge of $19.80 per person per day for its basic Premium Beverage Package. NCL's Unlimited Open Bar Package (formerly known as the Premium Beverage Package or the Ultimate Beverage Package) costs $99.00 per day. Packages do not include drinks from in-room minibars or those ordered through room service. Cruisers can upgrade by paying the difference in the retail package price ($29) in addition to associated service charges ($34.80 total per person, per day). At some lines, there are several tiers of drinks packages. BTW, if you are on Breakaway class ship, the outdoor venues are a lot of fun. Norwegian's Unlimited Starbucks Package has a few restrictions. Cruise lines claim a vacation at sea is safer than any land-based vacation. How Do I Purchase A Drink Package For My Cruise? $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Cheers! This Is What You Need To Plan The Best Cruise With A Baby, How To Plan Awesome Family Cruise Shore Excursions Youll Love. Our complete analysis will help you answer the question, "Is the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package Worth It?". A selection of spirits and cocktails, wines by the glass, and bottled or draft beer with a value of up to $15 US per drink are included in the complimentary beverage package offered by Norwegian. Carnival has a 15-drink limit on alcoholic beverages purchased between 6 am, and 6 am. This means less time on the ship to take advantage of that drink package. NCL's Hawaii Beverage Package: A Complete Guide - Prof. Cruise Complimentary drinks are available at the Latitudes (past passenger) cocktail party. Generally speaking, we each drink about 2 non-alcoholic specialty drinks a day plus bottled water. With the high price of the package and price restrictions on included beverages, youll need to purchase 6-8 alcoholic beverages every day to break even. Norwegian Cruise Line Alcohol Policy Whether you've been daydreaming of hiking to one of Alaska's pristine glaciers, touring ancient ruins in the Greek Isles or exploring one of our other top destinations, get more free when you cruise with NCL. Cruise ship drink packages are not all-inclusive. These additional inclusions are freshly squeezed juice, bottled water (flat and sparkling), energy drinks, non-alcoholic beer, wine dispensers, and specialty coffee. The beverage package also covers bottled water, so you can grab a bottle on your way off the ship and not worry about finding a local convenience store. How Norwegian Cruise Line's Drink Packages Work Further vending machine purchases and wine stations are not included. NCL has no drink limit per day with the drink package, whether purchased or as a perk. If you would spend more money purchasing individual drinks than the cost of the package, then the drink package is worth it for you. Note that some cruise lines discount drinks packages if you buy them online in advance of sailing, and some lines offer periodic sales on their drinks packages online. The Free Open Bar is likely the top pick for many from Norwegians Free at Sea promotion. CHEERS! $12 for a drink made with leftover banana peels? A NCL Premium Plus Beverage Package, which includes 20% gratuities, is available for $138 per person per day. Take your tastebuds on a trip with free meals at our Speciality Dining venues. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, mixed drinks and cocktails (soda, beer and house wines by the glass ordered at lunch and dinner already are included in the fare at Viking; so are specialty coffees and teas at all hours). However, passengers who are 18 to 20 years of age can purchase and consume beer or wine on other itineraries, too, when the ship is in international waters (does not apply to Alaska or Hawaii sailings). Cruise ship drinks packages: A line-by-line guide - The Points Guy If you decide to purchase the beverage package, booking online ahead of time is better. This is the drinks package that many travelers get comped as part of Norwegian's Free at Sea promotion (though you still have to pay 20% of the package price for gratuities). It costs $49 per day when sailing in North America (pricing will rise to $51 per day in October). Based on this cost, if you and your cabin mate will drink on average at least 2 alcoholic drinks/day, then the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package is worth getting as a free perk. If so, you may be able to use your beverage package off of the ship.
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