Drink Package and MTD?

[ctnurse]

We have booked our first RCCL cruise ( 7 Night European this fall after DCL leaves Europe) and don't know anything about RCCL.
I have been looking at the different drink packages and I am trying to figure out if it makes sense to purchase one. We also have been assigned MTD since both MDR times are unavailable.

My questions.
1. Is Champagne considered wine with the packages?
2. Can you have wine by the glass with dinner or do you need to buy a bottle? We have wine with dinner every night and usually buy a bottle, but if you can use the package during dinner that would also work.
3. Is there a wine package (like on DCL) that you can buy a certain number of bottles of wine at a discount?


4. Should or can we wait list for a MDR time? Is it worth it?
5. Do we need to make reservations ahead of time. It would be for 3A and 2C.

Anything else you can tell me about RCCL would be great since I don't know much about RCCL.

 

[DnA2010]

My questions.
1. Is Champagne considered wine with the packages?
Yes! I drank a lot of champagne- on Freedom they had a champagne bar with a number of selections by the glass
2. Can you have wine by the glass with dinner or do you need to buy a bottle?
We have wine with dinner every night and usually buy a bottle, but if you can use the package during dinner that would also work.
Yes, you can order wine by the glass no problem- there is a list with a variety of choices
3. Is there a wine package (like on DCL) that you can buy a certain number of bottles of wine at a discount?
I don't know the answer to this one

4. Should or can we wait list for a MDR time? Is it worth it? We did MTD-
We were just 2 so no issues getting a table when we wanted. Might be a bit more of a wait for 5- depends if you like the same time or want the flexibility. We still had the same servers and honestly, ours were better than the servers we had on the Fantasy.
5. Do we need to make reservations ahead of time. It would be for 3A and 2C.
For dining you mean?

Anything else you can tell me about RCCL would be great since I don't know much about RCCL.

Answered in the quote. We've been on Oasis (group of 13- adults from 33-60 and kids from 2-12) and Freedom (just DH and I) so let me know if you have any questions I can answer.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would make dining reservations, yes. There's no reason not to, especially if you wanted a set time for dining anyway.

Yes you can order glasses of wine at dinner included in your package. There was a server, assistant server, and then what I would deem a drinks server that you order the wine from. IF you don't want the same thing each night, let them know; our tablemate ended up very frustrated night 3 when the guy kept bringing her a white zin because that's what she ordered night 1, when she was wanting to switch it up. And he was just leaving it there and not coming back until the close of the meal to get her signature, which wasn't allowing her the ability to change her order.

I don't think they have a wine bottle package anymore.


What ship are you on?

 

[ctnurse]

I would make dining reservations, yes. There's no reason not to, especially if you wanted a set time for dining anyway.

Yes you can order glasses of wine at dinner included in your package. There was a server, assistant server, and then what I would deem a drinks server that you order the wine from. IF you don't want the same thing each night, let them know; our tablemate ended up very frustrated night 3 when the guy kept bringing her a white zin because that's what she ordered night 1, when she was wanting to switch it up. And he was just leaving it there and not coming back until the close of the meal to get her signature, which wasn't allowing her the ability to change her order.

I don't think they have a wine bottle package anymore.


What ship are you on?

We are on Vision of the Seas.

I hope they would bring more than one glass of wine during dinner.

Have you used the Drink Package or MTD? Thoughts?

 

[bumbershoot]

We used MTD on Vision, and made dining arrangements on the first night. I had wanted to just see how things went, but the dining manager person that we talked to on the first day (to make arrangements for that night's dining) convinced us that there might be lines to wait for a table. So we made arrangements, and therefore kept the same dining team. First night was at around 5:30pm, then the rest was at 6 or so.

We had a very BAD serving team on Freedom the other week. I'm not sure what was going on, because our table, at least, was fairly low-maintenance (two families of 3, both families ordering normal items in normal quantities and we had all cruised more than once before), but our server was having tantrums at the assistant, and like I mentioned, the drinks person was hard to get ahold of.

Honestly? And I did this twice...just get your drink and bring it in. For me, I poured wine from the bottle I had brought on, and carried the glass to the MDR. You could buy (package or OOP) a drink on the way, too. If you like more than one glass during dinner, bring one in and order another when you see the drinks person. Or just be very clear with him/her on the first night that you like more than one glass.

It's possible our tablemate would have been more clear with the drinks guy about coming back, but she was awaiting spinal surgery and was trying to do a combo of moderation with the Ultimate package while still taking pain medication, LOL. She told us she was drinking far less than she would have been doing b/c of the medication. So she only wanted one glass a night. But she did express frustration as the cruise went on, that he was taking SO long to come back. One night DH ordered a virgin pina colada (on Replenish package) and the tablemate ordered wine. It took until entrees to get the drinks, and until nearing after dessert to get the receipts (and seapasses) back.

This is not the norm for Royal in our experience, and it was full-on, pre-Easter-week, spring break cruise.


But dinner is an hour or two of the day. To determine the worth of the packages, consider the whole day and each day. If you are on a port-heavy itinerary, consider if over the course of the cruise you will order enough of the included beverages to make it make sense. Or if you are a person that values convenience, will it feel convenient enough.

 

[shoney]

We had MTD and the drink package. We needed to order from a waiter that was specifically for beverages not the food team. We didn't have any problems. We did tip him extra each time to make sure he kept coming back!
We did not make dinner reservations. To me, that defeated the purpose of MTD. I want to go and eat when I want to. A few times we had to wait. We just went to the bar and had a drink. They did seem to want you to make reservations though

 

[DnA2010]

One thing that works for me on Royal- I tip

We had MTD and the drink package. We needed to order from a waiter that was specifically for beverages not the food team. We didn't have any problems. We did tip him extra each time to make sure he kept coming back!
We did not make dinner reservations. To me, that defeated the purpose of MTD. I want to go and eat when I want to. A few times we had to wait. We just went to the bar and had a drink. They did seem to want you to make reservations though

True- we did tip the bar server in the dining room the first night- we had no issues with getting drinks. I find this helpful with any of these sort of operations- all inclusive resorts, Disney Fantasy, Royal ships...

 

[bumbershoot]

We needed to order from a waiter that was specifically for beverages not the food team. We didn't have any problems. We did tip him extra each time to make sure he kept coming back!

That's what I was referring to as a drinks server.

Our tablemate was tipping each night. And when we ordered the virgin drink we tipped.

But the drinks guy *wasn't coming back to GET tipped* (and give seapasses back) until the end of our meal.

It was all very weird.

 

[ctnurse]

Thank you to everyone that responded.

I don't know anything about RCCL since we have only sailed on DCL.

 

[bumbershoot]

On dcl I remember ordering drinks from the assistant. Except that I almost never do. And when I finally do want a drink, if I haven't ordered one the previous nights, it's nearly as hard to track them down to make that order as it was to get the drinks guy on my recent royal cruise.

I've actually only managed it once. Every other time the asst is so busy doing other things, and me ordering a drink is out of the norm by night 3, so they just don't stop no matter what sort of eye contact or "excuse me" etc I might try.

 

[LemonNeko]

My mom is kinda a wine snob. She found the wines that were included in package not to her liking and preferred to buy bottles. If you don't finish the bottle they write your cabin # on it and keep it for the next evening. They discontinued the bottle package so it was per bottle. My mom said you really needed to know your prices as the surcharge was pretty random some wines were only $10 more a bottle other were $50 more than what you pay on shore. There's also no corkage fee on your two bottles of wine you can bring along.

 

[msjprincess]

And FYI, if you have a package and order a glass that's higher than the maximum price allowed you only pay the difference. If you have a beverage package and order a bottle you get a 20% discount.

They do still occasionally offer wine packages, but you won't know until you board. I know they offered it last summer on Independence, but I don't recall the details.

 

[Jkpark]

I'm so thankful for this thread. We just booked our first RCCL last night for next February. We have only done weekend Carnival cruises when we were young and irresponsible, and two cruises on the Fantasy so I'm trying to understand the many different drink packages and how dining works. Since it is just the two of us, I think I will just wing dinner each night. If we need to have a drink while we wait - we are fine with that. We will try to book a signature restaurant for our actual anniversary (15 years). Can anyone confirm if this is 90 or 100 days out? I have read both answers in various threads I have been scouring.

And now for my drink packages question:
Is coffee free (not lattes, just plain coffee)? Or do I need a beverage package for that?
Did I read above I am allowed to bring on 2 bottles of wine? Is that per room or per person?
If I haven't purchased a soda package and want a soda - any idea on how much they charge?
Does the soda machine have water? For the packages that come with bottled water - where do I get those? Just at the bars / restaurants? Or are they in various spots to grab and take to excursions?
Is room service free? If I have a drink package can I order wine/beer to my room? and soda/water I guess?

Thanks!!

 

[msjprincess]

I'm so thankful for this thread. We just booked our first RCCL last night for next February. We have only done weekend Carnival cruises when we were young and irresponsible, and two cruises on the Fantasy so I'm trying to understand the many different drink packages and how dining works. Since it is just the two of us, I think I will just wing dinner each night. If we need to have a drink while we wait - we are fine with that. We will try to book a signature restaurant for our actual anniversary (15 years). Can anyone confirm if this is 90 or 100 days out? I have read both answers in various threads I have been scouring.

And now for my drink packages question:
Is coffee free (not lattes, just plain coffee)? Or do I need a beverage package for that? Yes, regular coffee is free
Did I read above I am allowed to bring on 2 bottles of wine? Is that per room or per person? 2 bottles per room
If I haven't purchased a soda package and want a soda - any idea on how much they charge? Approximately $2.50-$3
Does the soda machine have water? I'm not sure about the Freestly machines. You can get ice water at any bar or dining locations
For the packages that come with bottled water - where do I get those? Just at the bars / restaurants? Or are they in various spots to grab and take to excursions? When you're leaving the ship they usually have bottles of water than you can grab as you exit. they'll scan your seapass card
Is room service free? If I have a drink package can I order wine/beer to my room? and soda/water I guess? Room service is free, except for 12am-5am. During those hours there is a $4 charge. I normally tip a few dollars. No, drinks from room service are not included in the packages, nor are the drinks from the minibar.

Thanks!!

I answered the questions that I could.

 

[Jkpark]

I answered the questions that I could.

Thanks msjprincess - this is very helpful. I think with so many ports we will just pay as we go, bring some wine to have on our balcony and maybe buy the bottled water package.

 

[msjprincess]

Thanks msjprincess - this is very helpful. I think with so many ports we will just pay as we go, bring some wine to have on our balcony and maybe buy the bottled water package.

That's what we did last time. I added up our receipts afterwards and we came out ahead without package. But our next cruise is only 5 days and our only ports are Jamaica and Labadee(where we can use a package) so we may get it this time.