If you pay outright for the, The gratuities for the free premium package are $13.80 per day. If you would spend more money purchasing individual drinks than the cost of the package, then the drink package is worth it for you. Other packages: The less costly Topmast Discoveries Beer and Wine Package, at $49 per day, includes a choice of beers and premium wines but not spirits and cocktails. Variety of spirits and cocktails, wines. Norwegian Introduces Unlimited Starbucks Package This equates to $831.60 per person for a 7-day cruise (including 20% service charge).Analysis of the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package. This brings us back to the original question, is the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package a good value? Required fields are marked *. The beverage package for Princess Plus used to be called Premier Beverage Package. Book today and enjoy 50% Off all cruises! There's a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per person in a 24-hour period. Sharing is explicitly prohibited. In addition to that, it consists of non-alcoholic beer, juice, and fountain soda and juice. Complimentary drinks are available at the Latitudes (past passenger) cocktail party. Norwegian's Free at Sea Cruise Deals: Free Open Bar & More However, you usually can't use them when ordering room service to your room. These additional inclusions are freshly squeezed juice, bottled water (flat and sparkling), energy drinks, non-alcoholic beer, wine dispensers, and specialty coffee. Cost per day: $59.95, including gratuities. Norwegian assesses a gratuity charge of $19.80 per person per day for its basic Premium Beverage Package. Other packages: Celebrity also offers a less inclusive classic drinks package that now is included in the fare for its sailings as part of its new Always Included fare structure. Take your tastebuds on a trip with free meals at our Speciality Dining venues. Most cruise lines require all guests sharing a cabin to purchase the same beverage plan to prevent sharing between friends and family. The Cost of Drinking on a Cruise - Cruisewatch When considering this option, it is important to note that NCL offers cruisers the ability to purchase a 24-pack of 1L bottles of water for $44.95 on the online cruise planner. Notably, wine lists onboard were developed in partnership with the Michael Mondavi Family. Would you pay $138 per day for a drinks package on a cruise ship? That Unlike some cruise lines, Norwegian doesn't currently have a limit on how many drinks you can have per day with any of their packages. Note that the package is valid on Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises private island in the Bahamas. Most cruise lines allow guests to bring alcohol on the cruise ship one or two bottles of wine or champagne. Typical drinks are much less than that. That is the only reason I would think they would do that. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); High Seas Cruising was founded by couple Marcello and Victoria to share travel tips and insights from over two decades of cruise vacations. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, spirits, mixed drinks, cocktails, soda, juices, nonalcoholic cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffees, teas and premium bottled water. When doing the calculations, dont forget to factor in port days. Finally, many cruise lines have a rule that if one person purchases the drink package, everyone sharing the cabin must also buy the drink package. Both cruise lines have a 15-drink limit per 24 hours on alcoholic beverages. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Cost per day: $64.95 when purchased on board, not including an 18% automatic gratuity charge; $59.95 plus the gratuity charge when purchased in advance of sailing. And if you are in a warm climate, such as the Mediterranean, Australia, or the Caribbean, you may want to bring water with you as you explore the ports of call. Purchasing alcohol in ships' duty-free shop(s): Any alcohol purchased in the onboard shops will be stored until the cruise's conclusion. Drinks over $15 (you'll pay the difference) On the flipside, if you are visiting NCLs private island of Great Stirrup Cay on your cruise, this gives you more opportunity to use the package while enjoying some fun in the sun. The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway. Heres Your Answer! Though, it is not likely worth it to purchase out of pocket unless you plan on consuming a considerable number of alcoholic beverages a day. Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Packages Guide - Cruise Maven How much is a glass of wine on Norwegian cruise? Even if you receive a drink package with the cruise lines Free at Sea promotion, you are still responsible to pay this 20% gratuity. If your second passenger is under 21 and only receiving a Soda Package, then you'll be charged $11.13 for that package. The limit only applies to alcoholic beverages, so feel free to order unlimited soda, juice, and specialty coffee. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. As with the other cruise lines on the list, you will usually get a better deal if you purchase the drink package before you set sail rather than on the ship. How Do I Purchase A Drink Package For My Cruise? Ultimate Beverage Package - limits? Premium Beverage Package - Starting at the hefty price of $99 per day (plus 20% service charge), Norwegian 's Premium Beverage Package includes any wines, beers or cocktails priced at $15 or less per glass. NCL Alcohol Policy, Drink Packages, Wine Prices | CruiseMapper It seems by the article that the free at sea drink package would be good enough with no need to upgrade on NCL? The exclusions list will vary among cruise lines but typically doesnt include mini bar purchases, room service, bottles of wine or liquor, pitchers, buckets, sharable drinks, or drinks served in a souvenir cup. Guests can purchase the Premier Beverage Package for $59.99 per person per day. Note that both prices will have an 18% gratuity tacked on. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. Cost per day: $19.95, including gratuities. Guide to Norwegian Cruise Lines Specialty Dining Package, Everything You Should Book Before Your Cruise, should buy a beverage package on a cruise, easy to go overboard if you are just trying to get your moneys worth, Celebrity Edge Will Be the First Cruise Ship to Sail from the U.S. in June. 19 Secret Codes on Cruise Ships That You Need to Know, Virgin Voyages Partners with Sustainable Marine Fuel Providers, D23: Disney Treasure, Lighthouse Point, and Australia, Carnival Celebration Begins First Set of Sea Trials, Oceania Cruises New 180-Day World Cruise And Grand Voyages, Easy Package $38 per person per day with select drinks, Easy Plus $49 per person per day with a $9 per drink limit, Premium Extra $69 per person per day with a $15 per drink limit. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. A 20% service charge is added to your purchase at checkout. Dont make the mistake of thinking beverage packages are only for alcoholic drinks. What Does The Norwegian Drink Package Include Bottled Water As part of Celebritys Always Included fare, passengers receive the Classic Package with the standard cruise fare. The main dining room and buffet are free on all ships in the fleet and there is usually another free option such as a bar/pub. Cost per day: $63 to $89, not including an 18% gratuity charge (pricing varies by ship and itinerary). Included with the package, guests have access to wines by the glass, beer, spirits, cocktails, bottled water (500 ml only), fresh juices, fountain sodas, specialty coffees and teas, Red Bull energy drinks, and milkshakes up to $12 per drink. Norwegian Non-Alcoholic Drinks and their specialty coffees. For most cruisers, the drink package is simply not worth the price. Although convenient, cruise line beverage packages are a significant investment for your vacation. Thats because while youre shopping or taking part in an exciting shore excursion, you wont be using the beverage package. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, mixed drinks, specialty cocktails, soda, juices, nonalcoholic cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffees, teas and bottled water. What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, mixed drinks and cocktails (soda, beer and house wines by the glass ordered at lunch and dinner already are included in the fare at Viking; so are specialty coffees and teas at all hours). If you plan to spend the day in port, you wont be consuming as many beverages as you would on sea days. Then there were days where we only had 2 drinks each for the entire day. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. Related: The 8 best drinks to order with a cruise ship beverage package. Make sure you consider the reduced consumption during port days to estimate your drink expenses better. Note that the beverage packages can be used not just on Norwegian ships but at Norwegian's private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay. Basic tiers often just include sodas and bottled water. When you order drinks from a US port, you will be charged an additional tax. $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline. Premier Beverage Package - $59.99 The Premier Beverage Package on Princess includes unlimited premium beverages and snacks throughout the cruise. The Corks and Caps Wine and Beer Package, priced at $65 per day, includes beer, wines by the glass priced up to $15, soda and juices. Even as a perk, the service charge for my wife and I require that we consume a minimum of 4-5 drinks per day to break evenand she doesnt drink at all. With the My Drinks Plus package, guests receive premium cocktails, mini bar purchases, prestigious liquor brands, and bottled Corona and Becks. If youre still not convinced. Notably, this restriction does not apply to alcoholic beverages so, you could get bottles or cans of beer, but not sodas or water. This website uses cookies. Find the right card for you. The 15% service charge is waived when pre-booking the package. The Legal Drinking Age And Alcohol Laws In Norway Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Drink packages that don't include alcoholic drinks, such as soda packages, typically cost far less. Fees are $15 for 750ml bottles and $30 for 1,500ml. DOUBLE WALL VACUUM INSULATED TECHNOLOGY: This tumbler can keep beverages cold for up to 24 hours and keep hot for at least 6 hours. Here's what you get: Select, premium cocktails & spirits under $15 USD (such as Patron Silver, Grey Goose and more) A variety of beer and wine by the glass under $15 USD 20% off all bottles of champagne and wine CC Help Jenn Two lines that notably don't have such a rule are Princess Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Yes. The only limit is your own personal weakness and self doubt about having just one more beverage. As a comparison, on our cruise, the featured cocktail of the day was $8.95. Is There A Limit To How Many Drinks You Can Get Per Day With An Ncl Beverage Package Unlike some cruise lines, Norwegian doesnt currently have a limit on how many drinks you can have per day with any of their packages. The entire cruise must be purchased. The package has limited options compared to the Premium package and only covers drinks served by the glass, up to $9 per drink. Norwegian Drops Drink Package Edge it Held Over Royal Caribbean You aren't charged for any gratuities when you actually get the drinks. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. I figured Carnival might put the limit so you don't buy a ton of drinks for friends who are not on the package. The package is not valid on Holland Americas private island, Half Moon Cay. A Norwegian law requires you to be at least 18 years old to purchase wine or beer. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Norwegian recently updated its beverage package selection and added a new package option. The package does NOT work at Harvest Caye. Bringing alcohol onboard at embarkation: Beer and liquor is not allowed -- items will be secured until disembarkation day. Cheers to all the spirits and cocktails, wines, draft beer, juice, and soft drinks. But, there is one scenario where you may want to purchase a package even if you wont be saving money. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. Unlimited Soda / soft drink package for $9.95 per day + 20% gratuity (FYI, NCL now serves COKE branded products) Water Package which ranges from $19.95 to $49.95 for 6 liters to 24 liters of water. Further vending machine purchases and wine stations are not included. In fact, we would have actually lost $685.20 compared to just paying out of pocket for all our alcoholic beverages. This equates to a full retail price of $1,075.20 for a 7-day cruise (including 20% service charge). In cases where a line offers more than one drinks package, weve highlighted the most inclusive package in detail while also noting other packages cruisers can consider. If you plan on drinking lots of pop or alcohol, but your cabinmate is fine with tap water, youll be better off skipping the beverage package and buying drinks at the bar. This equates to $831.60 per person for a 7-day cruise (including 20% service charge). The total cost of all those drinks with service charge was $978.00 for the two of us. But once you are on board, the luxury of ordering drinks and restaurants without worrying about the final bar bill can be worth the price of the package. Unlike drink packages on many other cruise lines, Norwegian's Free Open Bar doesn't include specialty coffees or bottled water. $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Guests who are 21 or over will receive a, Adult alcoholic beverages generally incur charges in the $8 to $10 arrange. Princess Cruises is the only cruise line we know of that doesnt require all passengers sharing a cabin to purchase the drink package. It depends. You guessed it, you have to pay 20% gratuity on the free soda packages as well. The Norwegian Cruise Line Premium Drink Package is good almost everywhere. as long as the regular drink package is offered as the free at sea promotion,i find that this is sufficient for my wife and myself, by nature she is not a big drinker (although neither am I) but we will have a glass of champagne or mimosa at breakast and she will join me in a mojito during the afternoon. NCL Drinks Packages: Worth It or Not? (2022) - Cruise Mummy What it includes: Beer, wine by the glass, spirits and cocktails. What it includes: All beverages by the glass (top-shelf spirits, cocktails, beer and wine) and select premium bottles of Champagne and wine. The package also brings a 15% discount on wine bottles and premium beverages costing more than $15 that arent included in the package. *Terms & Conditions Package not available on sailings less than 5 days or charter sailings. In many cases, no. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Also includes unlimited Starbucks coffee and specialty drinks, bottled water, soda, juices and energy drinks. Guests under 21 will receive the soda package. Related: Can I bring my own alcohol onto a cruise ship? Carnival has a 15-drink limit on alcoholic beverages purchased between 6 am, and 6 am. Most drinks packages have a unit cost upper limit of $12-$15 per drink, depending on the cruise line's policy. The cruise was 14 days and the package was called their Silver Spirts package. Note: Final prices will add a 20% gratuity to the cost of the package. https://www.ncl.com/terms/ultimate-beverage-package, The Freestyle Choice information has the following:-, The first two guests can enjoy a drink (who are we kidding, drinks) for the whole cruise vacation for free. At first, glance, purchasing a drink package seems like a no-brainer. In this post, we complete an analysis to answer the question, Is the Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package Worth It?. More elaborate (and expensive) tiers will add alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails, wine, beer and specialty coffee drinks. That is a question that only you can answer based on your own drinking habits. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. You cant use the drink package in most ports. Please note: We are looking at packages that include both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Fine print: Packages do not include drinks from in-room minibars or shipboard wine-dispensing machines. The drink value can be up to and including $15 USD. $12 for a drink made with leftover banana peels? Available on: All ships except Pride of America. Dew, Ginger Ale, Tonic water, Club Soda. If so, you may be able to use your beverage package off of the ship. Your email address will not be published. There are five different adult beverage packages available on Norwegian Cruise Line cruises. Related: $12 for a drink made with leftover banana peels? Which Cruise Lines Offer Free Drink Packages This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. An upgrade beverage package is rarely needed if you sail with any of these cruise lines. And if you are traveling with a group, dont even consider using your beverage package on friends in other cabins.
