Royal carribean drinks packages

[Smilesonfaces]

We are going on our cruise from Fort Lauderdale in November. The non alcohol package is on offer from £21 to £14 plus 18% tip per night. It includes speciality coffees, virgin cocktails and sodas. Do cruisers think it is worth it I am such a ditherer ! It is unfortunate that the offer had come along in the same month that I have paid for the seaworld tickets ! It seems such a lot paying nearly £500. Do other cruisers pay for the drinks package ?

[Disney Julie]

It is a big decision to make. Just an idea, and you may need to check this, but how about seeing for the first few days of your cruise how much you are actually spending on drinks?
If you then think the package would be worth it, you can go to guest services and pay for the drink package for the rest of your cruise. You'll only pay for the days you have remaining.

Also, another issue might be which ship you are sailing on. The larger ships have coca cola freestyle machines which are good to use as they offer lots of coke combinations, Dasani water (still or sparkling) Sprite etc. You are given a cup with an RFID chip in it to use at the machines, like the cups at Disney World. If you think that would be something you'd use, the drinks package might be a good option.

[Smilesonfaces]

Thanks Julie. I have gone for the package with no alcohol. It has cost £480 including tips for the 4 of us. It does seem a lot but I have looked at a couple of cruise sites and we only need 4 drinks a day to make it worthwhile. The coffees are $4.50, the virgin cocktails $5/6 and even cans of pop are over $3.50 each.
I am realising the price of the cruise is quite reasonable and then there are all the extras !
With 2 teens I think it was safer having the drinks package than a big bar bill at the end. Started off as a budget holiday lol !

[Tor32]

We are realising that now... the budget is blown!

[Smilesonfaces]

I know what with tips, excursions, drinks packages on top of what seemed like a reasonable cruise price ! All things I hadn't thought of when I booked ...O well it's a special occasion !

[Tor32]

Does anyone know if I plump for the refreshment drink package now, can I upgrade to the deluxe on board if I find we need to?

[Smilesonfaces]

You can cancel up to 2 days before sailing. If you cancel onboard they will refund you the package and charge you for whatever drinks you have already had. I think it is more expensive onboard though. I am going to keep looking and if another sale comes along with the alcohol package cancel my refreshment package and rebook. DH not bothered about the alcohol

[Tor32]

That's interesting I'll keep an eye on the prices and see what happens. We don't drink an awful lot but I would like a glass of wine with my meal and maybe a glass or two in the evening.

[Smilesonfaces]

Yes this is the same as us. It is nice to have a glass of wine with a meal. I couldnt cope with alcohol in the day ! You can take 2 bottles of wine onboard with you and they do not charge a corkage fee. If the alcohol one does come down from £38 a night i may consider it. I will take 2 bottles on with me. I just wouldn't drink enough to warrant paying an extra £24 a night for it. I looked at the wine list and you can get a bottle from £35 and the waiter will save it for you until the next evening. Not quite sure how that works if you are in a different restaurant though.

Edited to say it is from $35 a bottle and $12 a glass plus tip of course !

[Tor32]

I like the idea of the package so you don't have worry about it all. My DH is worried I'll sit there adding up how much everything is costing all the time (it really irritates him!) so I've promised that if we don't get it, we'll just order what we fancy rather than what's good value to money/cheaper etc... We don't go until 2018 so I'll be interested to hear how you get on.