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Carnival's Bottomless Bubbles program is a strictly soda package, with adult and child pricing available, and includes all-you-can-drink soda and juice for the duration of your cruise. The advice I got from serious casino players is to tip the server a buck or two with every drink they bring to keep the service and the drinks coming all cruise. If you plan to spend hours in the casino, a drink package might not be necessary.
Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Packages
The package that varies most in price is the Deluxe Beverage Package. Its price is higher during peak travel times and on cruises with stops at private islands. Buying this package ahead of time is always cheaper than on board. With this package, you can order almost anything non-alcoholic at bars and most restaurants on board. The Refreshment Package does not include shakes at Johnny Rockets, which are only included with the Deluxe Beverage Package. Royal Caribbean's Water Packages are available in 12- and 24-packs of one-liter bottles of Evian water.
Beverage Packages
Packages do not include beverages ordered from room service, bought in onboard gift shops or consumed from the minibar in your cabin. Keep in mind being able to use the package in port is a BIG deal. It's essentially an extra day that you can get your money's worth versus spending out of pocket when you are off the ship. While other cruise lines may not set explicit limits, if you are obviously intoxicated, then don't be surprised if you are cut off from ordering any more drinks. The final price per day is $70.74 if bought before the cruise and $76.64 if you wait to buy on the ship.
Are Cruise Drink Packages Worth It?
Those who might have a few drinks here and there — even several a day — likely won’t drink enough to make the deal worth buying. We wish there was a definitive answer, but in reality, it depends. If you are a steady drinker, then it’s not hard to spend $100 or more on drinks per day. The Unlimited Beverage Package includes all domestic and imported beer, more than 30 varieties of wine and sparkling wine, cordials and cocktails, along with mini-bar items. The Premium Extra Package includes all drinks by the glass, including more premium brands and champagne.
I Bought the Drink Package on my Carnival Cruise. Here's What I Learned.
Almost any combination of two other drinks — lattes, mocktails, smoothies or bottled water — makes the Refreshment Package a deal for you. If you can live without the extras, stick with the soda-only package. The cruise line uses dynamic pricing on beverage packages the same way it does on cruise fares. That means you won't know the prices for each package before you book a cruise. Demand, destination and promotions play a big part in the pricing, especially for the Deluxe Beverage Package, causing them to fluctuate slightly. If your vacation plans include alcoholic beverages, buying this package is a nice way to pay your cruise bar tab in advance rather than deal with the shock of a high bill at the end of the cruise.
Do Cruise Line Drink Packages Work in Port or Private Islands?
Below is a line-by-line look at available drink packages at the major lines that offer them. In cases where a line offers more than one drink package, we've highlighted the most inclusive package in detail while also noting other packages cruisers can consider. All major cruise lines will let you buy drinks on an a la carte basis when cruising. You don't need a drink package to be able to drink alcoholic beverages or any other type of beverage on a ship.
Cocktails are $10-$14, except for the drink of the day, which is $8. However, non-alcoholic beverages don’t count in this figure and there is no limit on how many you can have. So don’t worry that having a bottle of water in between drinks is going to limit how many cocktails you can have.
Princess Cruises Drinks Packages
No, you cannot order multiple drinks at once (including buckets of beer) or purchase a drink for another passenger when using your beverage package. But if you typically only drink a couple of glasses of wine at dinner, you aren't likely to break even — at least not on the Deluxe Beverage Package. In that case, skip the package that includes alcohol and do the math on the Refreshment Package. But what about a port-intensive cruise in Europe where you are off the ship for long hours and likely to be sampling local beverages? In those cases, the ship's beverage package might not come through for you.
No-Alcohol Drink Packages
Otherwise, beverage packages are only available to purchase onboard on embarkation day. Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 beverages per 24-hour period, but nonalcoholic beverages are unlimited. Princess Cruises also offers a Zero Alcohol Package, inclusive of specialty coffees, fresh juices and smoothies, mocktails, bottled water, sodas and energy drinks.
For instance, CocoCay -- Royal Caribbean's private island -- allows you to use the package while in port. MSC's Ocean Cay also allows you to use your drink package in port. If you purchase the package, it is charged for every day you are on the ship. It doesn't matter if you are in port for a day, you are still charged. So if you have 15 alcoholic drinks, you can't order another until the next day, but you can have all the waters or sodas that you want. When you do that, you'll be charged each time you get a beverage and don't forget the extra gratuity -- usually around 18% -- that's tacked on.
Carnival Cruise Line makes key beverage package change - TheStreet
Carnival Cruise Line makes key beverage package change.
Posted: Sat, 06 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The higher-end Princess Premier offer runs $84.99 per person, per day or $100.29 after the gratuity amount. That comes to a total of $702.02 for a person on a 7-day cruise. However, our last day – a port stop in Bimini, Bahamas – definitely didn’t eek out as much value, as I only ordered a few drinks. Knowing I could have saved some money on this port-intensive day did give me pause. It’s the place where every drink is an experience and tells a story, connecting you to those around you and regional flavors around the world. Based on Good Spirits, the popular TV series that traveled to far-away destinations in search of local ingredients for original cocktails, our lively bar is the perfect place to explore new drinks.
The water throughout the ships is not only drinkable but also better than what's available in many cities. Royal Caribbean drink packages allow you to drink what you want and when you want without feeling like you are being nickeled and dimed. The all-inclusive, extra-fee beverage plans aren't necessarily for everyone, but they are a nice way to enhance your cruise and take some of the stress out of in-the-moment vacation decisions. If purchased on its own, the math behind the package may not work for you.
The line perhaps best known for throwing in free cruise drink packages as a booking perk is Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian seemingly always is running some variation of its "Free at Sea" promotion that brings a free drink package, specialty dining, excursions and other perks. Depending on the cabin category you book, you typically can get one or more of the freebies thrown in. Enter the drink package, a flat-fee, all-you-can-drink offering that many lines have added over the years. For a fixed per-day rate, a drink package lets you order as many alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as you want every day. It only includes a limited number of drinks and is not valid in extra-charge specialty restaurants.
Maybe you are traveling with someone in recovery, is pregnant, or a minor who can't drink. In that case, you'll want to call the cruise line to explain the situation.
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