DCL - Drinks Package

[jonslawiu]

Does anyone have experience with wine packages? I love wine and coffee, and beer, but not really a sweet drink fan and don't do soda. Sparkling water sounds nice!! Maybe you could bring some on board? Is bottled water covered with food/soda that is included? From what I've heard I'm nervous about the included coffee....

You can bring a case of water on with you. Wine- you can bring two bottles (per adult). You can even have it served at dinner (though a corking fee applies). We purchased the wine package on-board and were happy with it. Our server was very good about making sure the bottle was either gone- or poured into cups for us to take with us each night.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm like this also. On DCL I add OBC to my account. On carnival I add the cruise cash or Bar cash. On NCL we've gotten the free drink package. On Carnival the drink package includes any alcoholic drink under 50 dollars, Soda, milkshakes, coffee, energy drinks, and vitamin water for 50.00 dollars. I think this is a pretty good value especially if you want to try some of the more expensive drinks and top shelf liquors. I haven't tried it yet, but I might the next time I cruise on Carnival. I could never get my money's worth just drinking alcohol, but throw in all the other stuff I might come close. RCCL's package I believe is 70.00 dollars....not worth it for me. I think a drink package or drink card with a certain number of drinks for a reduced price would be a good idea.

I'm sailing RCI's Anthem of the Seas in March. If I add the Deluxe Beverage Package right now it's $48/day + 18% service fee. Total for 7-night cruise would be $396.48. That includes alcohol + soda + specialty coffees + bottled water. When hubby & I did RCI's package back in 2013 the bottled water is what tipped us for value. We drink a LOT of bottled water.

 

[Flossbolna]

Does anyone have experience with wine packages? I love wine and coffee, and beer, but not really a sweet drink fan and don't do soda. Sparkling water sounds nice!! Maybe you could bring some on board? Is bottled water covered with food/soda that is included? From what I've heard I'm nervous about the included coffee....

Sparkling water from a bottle you would have to pay for. However, in the dining rooms you can request soda water from your servers. This comes from the soda machine where they get the Coke and such from, but just adds bubbles to the water, no syrup. It is my standard drink.

There sometimes seems to be a bit of a confusion in what is called what as club soda seems to be used as a synonym as well and then there are cans of club soda available, which cost extra. Some servers seem to have trouble understanding that you want the free soda water from the machine. And recently there was a thread about someone getting sparkling water at Remy which cost extra, too. If in doubt, always ask if there is a fee about it and explain what you want (from the machine, just bubbles no syrup). In my experience some servers know exactly what you are talking about, but one server I had never had heard of that, but quickly found out how to get it for me from her colleagues.

 

[DitkaFan]

For my upcoming Anthem of the Seas cruise if I were to purchase the package it'd be just shy of $400 with 18% gratuity. If you do the math based on $11/drink (that's an average price as some are less, some more, drink + gratuity) it breaks down to roughly 5 drinks per day. I love martinis. They tend to cost slightly more. 5 drinks in a day is easy to do without being inebriated. A Bloody Mary or Mimosa in the morning, a frozen something by the pool, a cocktail pre-dinner, a glass of wine with dinner, a drink at the show, maybe 2 at the adult show later on. I know when I cruise I do have at least a couple days I don't feel like drinking. Then on port days you aren't onboard all day to drink. More often than not you won't drink the full value of the package. The cruise lines are smart with where they price the packages. By charging what they do they guarantee themselves x amount of bar sales from those who buy in. Remember, we're basing our figures on the bar prices. That's not the cost of each drink to the cruise line. It's not that common to drink the entire value at the bar prices. Total win/win for the cruise line.

I'm perplexed as to why Disney wants to leave money on the table. Not what they typically do. And since they do seem to make a lot of moves toward industry standards...

Yes, you used to could have any/all alcohol as long as you carried it onboard. That was nice but even then I would've rathered a package. It's not convenient to constantly return to your room to pour another drink. I'd rather set on a bar stool and let someone else fix them for me.

There's always the mixologies and tastings. Although when I go to those it always takes me a little aback when the bartender says, "Don't worry, we're going to get you drunk". That's not why I go to those. I genuinely like to try other things I normally wouldn't.

So I just got off Harmony of the Seas on 1/14/17 and i found a lot of people complaining about the drink packages. The main issue was that the price of many of the drinks exceeded the per drink limit the package has. It seems about 1/2 of each bars specialty drinks exceeded the limit.

I personally don't get alcohol drink packages, but I did enjoy my refresher package which included fresh squeezed OJ, bottled (still and sparkling) water, lattes/cappuccinos, soda (never drink this anyways), and smoothies. I feel that I definitely got my moneys worth there as each day, I probably had 8-10 bottles of still/sparkling water along. Add in 1-2 fresh OJs and a 1-2 cappuccinos a day. Often had a yummy smoothie for lunch rather than a heavy sit down/buffet lunch. Now I would say i drink 120-160 oz of water a day plus a couple of coffee's when at home, so this wasn't too terribly out of my standard routine.

It would be fantastic if Disney offered a similar package. The bottled water alone would make it worth it. I am not a fan of the desalinated water, as i don't care for the way it makes me feel...

 

[KalamityJane]

From googling, it looks like they *MAY* have Strongbow hard cider.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

So I just got off Harmony of the Seas on 1/14/17 and i found a lot of people complaining about the drink packages. The main issue was that the price of many of the drinks exceeded the per drink limit the package has. It seems about 1/2 of each bars specialty drinks exceeded the limit.

I personally don't get alcohol drink packages, but I did enjoy my refresher package which included fresh squeezed OJ, bottled (still and sparkling) water, lattes/cappuccinos, soda (never drink this anyways), and smoothies. I feel that I definitely got my moneys worth there as each day, I probably had 8-10 bottles of still/sparkling water along. Add in 1-2 fresh OJs and a 1-2 cappuccinos a day. Often had a yummy smoothie for lunch rather than a heavy sit down/buffet lunch. Now I would say i drink 120-160 oz of water a day plus a couple of coffee's when at home, so this wasn't too terribly out of my standard routine.

It would be fantastic if Disney offered a similar package. The bottled water alone would make it worth it. I am not a fan of the desalinated water, as i don't care for the way it makes me feel...

Yeah. I drink around 100 oz minimum of bottled water daily. If I'm drinking alcohol it's likely to be a little more. Hydration is key. I prefer the convenience of a disposable bottle on-demand. An alcohol package with the add-ins would be soooo nice!

 

[Beth06015]

Sparkling water from a bottle you would have to pay for. However, in the dining rooms you can request soda water from your servers. This comes from the soda machine where they get the Coke and such from, but just adds bubbles to the water, no syrup. It is my standard drink.

There sometimes seems to be a bit of a confusion in what is called what as club soda seems to be used as a synonym as well and then there are cans of club soda available, which cost extra. Some servers seem to have trouble understanding that you want the free soda water from the machine. And recently there was a thread about someone getting sparkling water at Remy which cost extra, too. If in doubt, always ask if there is a fee about it and explain what you want (from the machine, just bubbles no syrup). In my experience some servers know exactly what you are talking about, but one server I had never had heard of that, but quickly found out how to get it for me from her colleagues.

Great tips! TY!

 

[GBBTomorrow]

I would fall over and cry tears of joy if Disney finally rolled out a per day all-inclusive adult beverage package that included bottled water. Would I drink enough to make it "worth it"? Probably not. The time I paid for the package on Allure I think maybe the bottled water got us close. Our first NCL cruise on the Getaway in Sept 2015 (no kids) we got the drink package for "free". I did save every bar receipt because I wanted to see what our total would be if we drank all the things we wanted to. $886. Nope, not once were we ever sloppy drunk or drunk at all. We had a blast. I want the convenience. All the soda drinkers like having the ability to sail without having to worry about buying sodas. I don't drink soda. Let me pay for the convenience of not having a fat bill at the end of my cruise. It's a convenience I'd *love* to have on Disney.

Just curious: what is the difference between paying for the water ahead of time, or having it be on your cruise bill at the end?

 

[KalamityJane]

Just curious: what is the difference between paying for the water ahead of time, or having it be on your cruise bill at the end?

The feeling of dread as you wait for the bill at the end.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Just curious: what is the difference between paying for the water ahead of time, or having it be on your cruise bill at the end?

The cruise bill at the end. If I can avoid a bill at the end I will. Plus, if you've paid as you go you might be somewhere where you'd like a bottle but opt not to. If it's prepaid unlimited you don't need to opt not to. Just have it if you want it.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

We like to have a few drinks a day while on the cruise, or beer. I think it depends on how/what you drink. Most days I have the drink of the day which I believe was $4.65 on our cruise last Fall. I paid the $3 extra or whatever it was to get the DCL hurricane glass which is bigger than the regular glass the drinks come in. Then after that first drink which cost around $8 I got the drink of the day for $4.65 which is a great deal. If you go to the bar by the way (as opposed getting your Drink of the day by the pools) they are made way better and stronger there. I found after 2 I had enough for a few hours. Oh and you keep the glass, I love using it at home during the summer. There was the occasional time I didn't like the drink of the day, and then the regular drinks on the menu seemed to be about $9.50 with the automatic gratuity.
We also bought the DCL beer mugs for $15 each which again are very nice and you get to keep it after your cruise. My DH mostly drinks Bud Light (boring I know) so he would get 22 oz of beer in the beer mug for $5.90 I believe. I know it was about a $1.30 more than my drink of the day.
There is no way that a drink package would be worth for us, I would have maybe 4-5 drinks a day, and DH had about same amount of beer. Tops.
If you drink martinis or other more pricy cocktails though, then may be worth for you.
Now, I heard that Royal Caribbean and Carnival charge a LOT more for their drinks than Disney Cruise line. If I ever sail with Royal and I hope to, I may look into the drink package with them.
With Disney.. I am happy with the way it is. Although I'm not opposed to a drink package, I just fear that it would raise the per drink price for those of us who don't need it.
Someone suggested the punch card though or 7 drinks for the price of 5 special card. I would probably go for that.

 

[Bree]

I think drink packages on ships are just like the dining plan for a WDW trip. No, it may not save you money, but many people are comforted that they are not going to have a huge bill at the end of their trip. I wish DCL had packages. My DH racked up a huge bill on specialty coffee. He refused to drink the "free" stuff at the beverage stations and the dining room. We also drink a lot of water, but find that the ship water (and ice) tastes funny and I swell up. We lug a case of water onboard with us, but it doesn't last the week so we still have to buy bottles of it. I'd love a package that included specialty coffee and bottled water.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I think drink packages on ships are just like the dining plan for a WDW trip. No, it may not save you money, but many people are comforted that they are not going to have a huge bill at the end of their trip. I wish DCL had packages. My DH racked up a huge bill on specialty coffee. He refused to drink the "free" stuff at the beverage stations and the dining room. We also drink a lot of water, but find that the ship water (and ice) tastes funny and I swell up. We lug a case of water onboard with us, but it doesn't last the week so we still have to buy bottles of it. I'd love a package that included specialty coffee and bottled water.

Yesssssss!!!!!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Yesssssss!!!!!

I agree a package that included specialty coffee and bottled water would be awesome.
Sweetpee... I just have to say as well.... looking at your "future adventures" and I'm totally jealous... (totally off topic

 

[Dug720]

Ditto on the gluten free. If I could get hard ciders I would love it!

Just heard back...

They said they have these gluten-free beers:

"-Estrella Daura (Gluten Free)
-Omission Lager (Gluten Free)
-Omission Pale Ale (Gluten Free)

Please be aware, selections are subject to change."

And the person I heard from said per the wording only beer, but you can ask on board if cider might be able to be included.

(Perhaps a nice tip for the bartender in the pub?? Lol. Note: My own thought...)

 

[JW9DVC]

For beer. I take on the flavored beer. Smirnoff ice or similar. It says flavored beer right on the bottle. Then at each port I grab a regular beer. Like Widmer Hef.

Then what I pirate on. That's a different story.
JW

 

[Psychodisney]

For anyone who is sailing on RCCL, the beverage packages are on sale right now. I cancelled my order and reordered...saved $150.

 

[Beth06015]

Yesssssss!!!!!

Or even like a punch card included for once specialty coffee a day or something. That way if people go overboard they pay but for the cost you're paying for the cruise you should be able to get a decent cup of coffee without paying extra!! Like the snacks at WDW - include two drinks a day per person that could be a glass of wine, beer, or coffee that ppl can use as they wish! And then just pay for anything beyond that!

 

[BhamBull]

I really enjoyed the skyline passport on my 7 night Fantasy. I just prepaid and had a drink between the show and dinner every night without worrying about it! Since fancy martinis tend to be my splurge it worked well and I think the only other thing I grabbed was some konk coolers on CC day.

I'll be on the Wonder next year, first time on the classic ships. It would be nice if they did a similar punch card there too if they don't already. A little discount, a way to prepay so I don't care as much, but not such a big package as leaves people sloppy.

How do you purchase the Skyline Passport? Thanks

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

How do you purchase the Skyline Passport? Thanks

Well, for starters, I don't know if they have anything similar in other bars or on other ships. On the Fantasy, where we were last summer, we just went in to the Skyline bar and bought it. They kept track of everything with our KTTW cards, either my wife or I could use it, and they would tell us how many of the 7 drinks we had left throughout the cruise.

I didn't even know about it ahead of time, so there must also have been a sign or maybe the bartender mentioned it two us since we were buying one drink each on the first night.