Drinking Packages on RCI

edited January 2015 in JoCo Cruise
A few questions, if I may, about the drinking packages:

- So, the Premium package includes unlimited wine (up to $12 value) and mixed drinks (up to $12 value), correct? And the Premium (or above) package allows me to pay the difference for more expensive booze?

- Are Joco beers included?

- How is the wine selection within the price range? Am I going to be able to get some decent Bordeaux or Malbecs?

- How is the mixed drink selection for $12? Will this include decent martinis (Bombay Sapphire, Hendricks, etc)? Decent brandy / cognac? Single malt scotches such as Laphroaig or Oban? Or at least Bowmore?

- There's port, right?

Comments

  • I don't know the answers to most of this, but I do know that the JoCo beers are free (but limited to a couple events).
  • If I remember correctly, there was no port on Freedom. Maybe since Independence is europe-based, they've got a port selection? I didn't check last year.

    Also, googling "cruise ship" and "port" is an exercise in futility in this case.  :(
  • edited January 2015
    Disclaimer: I have never purchased an alcoholic beverage package from RCI (but I've read a lot of reviews from people who have!) so hopefully somebody with first hand experience will jump in to correct me if I'm wrong.

    - So, the Premium package includes unlimited wine (up to $12 value) and
    mixed drinks (up to $12 value), correct? And the Premium (or above)
    package allows me to pay the difference for more expensive booze?
    Based on the different reviews that I've read, yes, you will be charged the difference.

    - Are Joco beers included?
    As rkcr noted, RCI has nothing to with those because they are Sea Monkey freebies that we can get during some of our special Sea Monkey events! (we don't need no stinkin' package!)

    - How is the wine selection within the price range? Am I going to be able to get some decent Bordeaux or Malbecs? How is the mixed drink selection for $12? Will this include decent
    martinis (Bombay Sapphire, Hendricks, etc)? Decent brandy / cognac?

    Here's a list of what you can usually find across the fleet - http://www.shipcruise.org/royal-caribbean-alcohol-policy-drink-prices/ 

    And here are the costs for the wines (including 3 ports) http://www.shipcruise.org/royal-caribbean-wine-package-policy-list-prices/

    For a slightly different take, one of the guys on the Cruise Critic forums has taken photos of most of the RCI drink menus  - http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/royal-caribbean-drink-package/

    The prices may actually be $1-$2 more than what's shown above... and it looks like RCI is starting to remove prices from their drink menus so you're probably going to have to ask the bartender what a drink costs before you order it - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2138302  Here's the photo proof from a guy who just got off the Independence of the Seas last Sunday of the new bar menu - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2149983#20 (scroll down to the 3rd photo).

    -  
    Single malt scotches such as Laphroaig or Oban? Or at least Bowmore?

    I'm partial to a nice Glendronach or Highland Park myself but I don't believe RCI carries anything more than the basic Glenfiddich, Macallan, and Glenlivet. Then I noticed this site said something about how "Scotch over 12 years old" is not included in the Ultimate package (http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2013/07/08/answers-all-your-unlimited-alcohol-package-questions) but I suppose that could be a blended Scotch.  I believe there was a single malt enthusiasts thread last year for JCCC4 but I don't know if that group managed to hunt down the single malt availability on the Indy once we got to the ship.

    And don't forget, the Home Office tempted us with that survey just before Christmas and the folowing promise: The Independence's beverage manager has offered to conduct some scotch whisky tastings for our group. The tastings would be approximately 30-40 minutes long, and would cost $15 plus 15% gratuity.") but we haven't heard anything since... and I just realized the info did not specify that the "scotch whisky tastings" would be (all?) single malts, hmm...

    - There's port, right?
    I think one of the lists that I linked to showed 3 or 4 ports and I believe all the ships should at least have the basic ruby Sandeman because that's one of the drinks that folks on the higher end of the RCI loyalty club (i.e. Diamonds and above) can get for free.  Your best bet for the greatest variety would probably be Vintages, the wine bar along the Promenade.
  • Re: Scotch. Last year, the Independence had some JoCo-group-only premium Scotches available only at our events. There was a Laphroaig PX (SUPER peaty), a Dalwhinnie Distiller's Edition, and a couple of others. These were screaming deals -- some of them are not normally available in the US and all were stuff that would be a $15-$25 pour at most stateside bars, and they were charging normal single-malt pour prices. We as a group drank all they had (the PX was the first to run out, IIRC).

    I don't know if they're wise to the pricing this year, but I do understand the bar manager on the Independence is looking to expand on last year's success with the specialty brown beverage program for our group.

    I honestly do not know if they were included in the drinks package as I have never bought said package.
  • The math on the drink packages always scares me off; I don't want to feel I must drink 5 drinks a day (over and beyond the various free drinking we do at JCC events) in order to get my money's worth.

    I actually found Chops to have the best wine menu on the boat.  They have a few different dessert wines (ports & eiswein), and I've enjoyed them...but I rarely remember what they are after the fact, as they show up at the end of quite a bit of other drinking.
  • Although I have not gotten any alcoholic packages before, I have done non-alcoholic packages and for me, it's not so much about breaking even as it is a matter of convenience and not having to earmark additional funds for payment at the end of the cruise.
  • autojim is correct re: the single malts - we, as a group, murdered the Laphroaig PX cask very quickly, I think the first or second night. They also had Ardbeg Corryvreckan at an absurdly low price, the aforementioned Dalwhinnie, and I think the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (if I remember correctly, but my memory seems to be slightly clouded for some reason). All of these were at our events only and were included on the unlimited package. On the rest of the ship, I never had a problem getting any scotch or bourbon as an included item in the unlimited package.

    I don't know if the main dining room has port, but Chops does for sure. I think there is a reasonably decent wine selection, but I am not a wine expert by any means.
  • Drat.  I should have paid more attention!  I would have loved have some of the Glenmorangie (I'm not much for the super-peaty Islays).
  • Indeed it was the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, and to answer an earlier question, yes, they were also included in the drink package.
  • edited January 2015
    Fabulous!  I hope they have it again this year... true story - I learned how to pronounce "Glenmorangie" when this song popped up on the radio as I was wandering around the Highlands (I studied abroad in Aberdeen that year)
  • Rumor has it that there will be special scotches for us again this year, based on the popularity last year. The selections may be different, but I imagine they'll have at least as much if not more than they had last time, based on my (admittedly unscientific) observation of consumption.
  • Ah, yes, the Ardberg Corryveckan. Tasty.

    Kim wouldn't kiss me after I drank some of the Laphroaig PX. Said I smelled like a campfire. Which I did. Sooo good, but beware of unintended consequences, I suppose.
  • I did the premium package last here and here's my feedback:

    The package is not for booze connoisseurs... but neither are cruise ships? I wouldn't expect to find a great selection of really anything but maybe wine? I drank a lot of wine last year, but as i have staying a willing wine dummy for long time because i'm a HUGE beer snob and a growing cocktail snob and i need something cheap to drink, i'm ok with drinking the cheapest by the glass wine on the menu. There's usually 1-2 glasses of each type of wine they offer in the under $12 range. Specifically i remember a rose, a white zin(i only know because i got served it a few times when i asked for rose), a malbec, a chianti, a pinot noir, 'm sure there were a couple merlots, and a cab. I'm not as much of a white wine drinker so i don't remember what was there. You can also get sparkling wine and there's a bar that does cocktails with sparkling wine too that was also included. i did a lot of bubbles last year :)  You will be charged the difference if you buy something more expensive and this doesn't apply to bottles of wine only glasses. 

    Re Cocktails: they'll cover anything in the menu for you. i never got upcharged for the drinks in the menus. That said, the package doesn't include specialty drinks in glassware you keep (for example they often come around after dinner with trays of fancy shots in shot glasses that you keep, those aren't included, or the on deck frozen drinks in the insulated cup wouldn't be included, but you could get the frozen drink in a normal cup). with respect to requesting mid grade liquors (which TBH on the ship would be "top shelf" generally) ... i cna't really say, i didn't have much experience with this specific asset of the package. 

    I successfully used my package for all the beer that i ordered in the british pub bar, the only place on the ship (besides the joco parties with yummy mystery brewing beers) that served beer that i would drink. Again, i still found their menu kinda basic for beers. The only things that i remember being an issue with not being included were the ones that are served in bomber type bottles, i think perhaps chimay was one of them? Kind of like bottles of wine, you can't get a bomber of beer with your package.

    Personally i made a decision before the boat to tone down my booze snobbery for a little while and enjoy what i could get... if you didn't want to do this, and will likely be requesting the top shelf liquors (as i said before, anything you might consider like a mid level liquor is probably top shelf anywhere but maybe chops) you *might* be better off just paying drink by drink. Another option, since it sounds like you're pretty into wine, is that if the included wines don't jive with your sense of taste, you can purchase bottles at a discount if you buy at least 3 or 5 i believe. 

    Two notes of interest regarding this
    1) you don't have to buy it ahead of time. probably you BEST bet, is to get on board, walk around to a few bars and ask them for the menu and wine lists, see what's included and make a more informed choice (the internet information is always spotty and it seems like the policies change often enough that it gets outdated quickly)

    2) An important thing to remember is that your package includes 18% gratutity on all your drinks and i believe that if you pay by the drink, they also tack on 18% gratuity anyway (someone correct me if i'm wrong about this) so when you think about it including gratuity it comes down to closer to 4 drinks a day to be worth it. 

    I"m a pretty big drinker and this is my big vacation so i enjoyed my package, and it's likely i'll do it this year again. I liked not having to think about it or stress about if i'd be spending too much on drinks at that one sitting. I for sure got my money's worth in the number of drinks i drank last year... but i also probably drank more because i had it. For example, I think i had a mimosa with breakfast every day on the boat and if i didn't have a package i might not have done that. 4-5 drinks a day SOUNDS like a lot but if you think mimosa/bloody mary with breakfast, maybe an afternoon drink by the pool or at the bar playing board games, a glass of wine or two with dinner, and an after dinner drink to take to the show or party it doesn't sound as bad. I think the people who get their money's worth are people who are likely to have a drink or two during the day and not the people who will only drink at dinner and later into the evening. 

    Ok that's my two cents on this. Personally my advice is to get on the ship, survey the bars and then decide. you have like at least 24 hours to make up your mind once you're there and if you get on the ship and buy a drink with your seapass and decide later that day to get the package, they wipe your previous bar charge off the bill (that's what i did last year). 
  • my 2 cents is get on the boat and have fun...drink fruity drinks...lay in the sun...explore the islands!
  • who wouldn't kiss a campfire?

    now, most would draw the line at a bog.  
  • The premium drinks package was worth it to my wife and I to get the better coffees. Everyone thinks "alcohol" when they think about the drinks packages, but coffee and tea are part of that, too.
  • Question. I didn't go over the by the glass cost on my Premium Package last year but might this time. Do they charge the difference to your account or do you give cash? Ditto by the drink purches without the package. Thanks!
  • It all goes on your account, whether it's a per-drink purchase without a package or the difference in price over the drink package.
  • edited January 2015
    I did an 8-night cruise on the Quantum last month and decided to try a drink package, but don't drink enough booze to make one of the liquor ones worthwhile. I got the Royal Replenish package which is basically any and every non-alcoholic drink on the ship (except shakes at the Johnny Rockets).

    I probably just about got my money's worth out of it, but also had to go out of my way to order more drinks than I normally would. A major frustration was that the "good" stuff was often only available at one place on the ship, such as getting the fresh-fruit smoothies they only made in the solarium bar, or getting a chai latte that they only served at the Patisserie. Also it's worth considering that you still pay for a full day's package for port days where you probably will be hard pressed to make full use of it.
  • @darrenbob and i did the all-inclusive booze package last time, and value/cost it basically came down to two things:

    pro: it is awesome to not have to sign the little slip of paper every goddamned time you wanted a drink.
    con: you can't buy a round on the package, and doing so off-package was overly cumbersome. 
  • If you're a Harry Potter fan, you can ask them for Glenquidditch.
  • Hey all,

    I posted this on the facebook page already, but it is relevant here as well.

    For those who are still debating whether or not the ultimate drink pass is for you, I have created a drink calculator! I put this together a couple nights ago to take a rough look at what I might spend with and without the pass for comparison. You can find my google doc here with instructions for how to use it:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17ASQLHRNxHnrBERe01H_S7KV0OBprShrgjtqpG2pRRI/edit?usp=sharing_eid
  • Hey, That_Tall_Guy, 
    Thanks for doing the work on the calculator. It makes it easier for me to be certain of my personal calculations and I know I'm doing the right thing planning a per drink cruise and not the packages.


  • The calculator is great!
  • I got the doc but am confused. If the calculator is built in I cannot get it to do an input to change the figures. I'm on an IPhone 6. Any ideas? I think this a great idea but can't seem to make it work.
  • Ah, yeah, on iOS it takes you to the 'published' version of the doc, which is not editable.  I don't think there is any way around that (unless you have the google drive app and there is some way to navigate to the link I posted from the app, but I don't know about that).

    So, you would most likely have to be on a non-mobile device for this to work.
  • Calculator is making me think maybe I overspent on the ultimate package then...   3 beers and 3 mixed drinks a day still comes out to be quite a bit cheaper and that still sounds like quite a bit of drinking unless I'm underestimating my consumption ability greatly.   Because of the calculator,  I'm now determined to drink at least 6 mixed drinks a day.  Thanks!

    What about doubles?   I've read tips saying if on a package, to make sure to ask for a double shot when getting mixed drinks.   Guessing doing the same when paying cash will increase the cost quite a bit?

  • @romeyde If consistently give a small cash tip and use the same bartender/server, you might find your mixed drinks getting stronger and stronger over the course of the cruise.
  • @romeyde  Even at 3 beers and 3 mixed drinks per day, if you have 4 bottled waters, or sparkling waters, or whatever (which is a really good way to make sure you stay hydrated between alcoholic bevs) you are coming in at 506 dollars, the exact price of the package, I believe.  Add that to the convenience of not worrying too much about tipping and signing all the time and not having to actually count your dollars for drinks, it sounds fairly worth it.
  • True,   I forgot about the fancy coffees also which I'll be getting at least two of daily.
  • Sounds like you're going to be spending most of your free time not attending concerts nor playing games, but rather peeing. :)
  • For the record, it is difficult to hear the Alhambra performances from the bathroom, even though it's right next to the theater. Be warned! You might miss a funny joke!
  • @that_tall_guy a thanks for the info. My laptop is a brick now and waiting for next Mac Air. Would some kind soul be willing to run the calculator? I am looking at the Premium package (55/day plus gratuity which I think makes it $56.40 a day) and tend to have about 3 -4 glasses of wine a day at about 12 each, 2-3 bottles of water, and 1 simple mixed drink house or beer. Thanks in advance!
  • I ran the numbers you supplied and got:

    8 Day pass: $451.20

    4 days w/ 3 wines, 4 days w/ 4 wines + 3 waters/day: $504

    Note: I'm just not sure on $56.40 as your cost/day if package is $55/day, so I ran it again.

    (20% gratuity would make it $66/day) - Cost of 8 day pass = $528
  • edited January 2015
    @cndArmyMedic. Thanks:-) sounds like it's close enough to even to have the peace of mind and ease of a package. Awesome and thanks.
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