Ahoy there cruises.
Are you confused about the Norwegian drinks packages and all of the drinks available?
Well we've got everything you need to know
In our Ultimate Guide.
Let's go!
So, first of all.
Let's talk about the different drinks packages available on "Norwegian Cruise Line".
Well first of all.
All adults in the stateroom must book the same package.
This includes connecting rooms as well.
And people you're traveling with that you've connected to on your booking.
You can use your drinks packages in any of the restaurants and bars onboard.
As well as "Great Stirrup Cay" - which is Norwegians private island.
So what is not included on the drinks package?
Well, first of all you cannot use the drinks package as part of the room service
or the minibar that will be in your room.
It's also not available on ship "pacific" - ship specific
I think he has had too many drinks already.
It's also not available on ship specific promotions.
As well as buckets of beer.
And obviously some things like the super designated premium brands - like champagne
are also not included.
As well as some specialty coffees, juices, energy drinks,
and bottled water are also not included in their drinks packages.
You're also not allowed to use the drinks package at the wine stations that will be dotted around the ship.
As well as any vending machines onboard.
So only one drink at a time can be bought with each card
and drinks packages must be bought for the whole duration of your cruise.
So a good tip here is.
If you want to get a round in just take the cards of everybody in your group up to the bar
and the bar will serve you there.
So let's talk about the different packages available.
The first one is "The Soda Package".
This runs in at, per adult in US dollars
$7.95 per person, per day.
And for children $5.95 per person, per day.
Plus you're also going to have to add on a 20% gratuity
and beverage charge as well on top of that.
This includes unlimited fountain sodas.
So that's things such as "Pepsi", "Pepsi Max", "Mountain Dew" - all them sort of soda drinks.
Cream soda, sparking water everything.
So next is the "Corks and Caps" beer and wine package.
Wow I have all the tongue twisters in this one!
That $65 per person, per day.
Plus that 20% gratuity which brings up to $78 per person, per day.
This includes everything in "The Soda Package".
As well as beers and wines by the glass.
As many as you want!
Next up its the "Premium Drinks Package"
Which used to be known as the "Ultimate Beverage Package".
This runs at $99 per person, per day.
And with the extra 20% gratuity and beverage cost.
That runs at about a $118 per person, per day.
This includes everything in the previous two packages.
As well as cocktails and spirits.
The drinks can be up to $15.
So any drink under the $15 value is included.
If you would like a drink that is over that $15 value.
You just pay the difference.
So, if your drink is $16.
You just pay the $1 difference.
You also receive 20% discount on bottles of wine purchased on board.
But this seems really pointless to me.
Because obviously you've got that really expensive drinks package.
Why would you want to buy bottles of wine?
You can just buy by the glass can't you.
So should we have a look at some of the average costs of drinks
aboard a Norwegian ship?
Let's do that!
The average beer will come in about $8 including gratuity.
Wines will come in at about $12 each including gratuity.
The average cocktail is about $14 including gratuity.
And the average spirit is about $12 plus gratuity.
Soda is going to come in at about $4 dollars including gratuities.
So that gives you a rough idea of how much the average drink is onboard.
So then you can start to work out what you'll be drinking
and how much you would be spending.
Obviously this is an average price.
Prices do vary from the most expensive to the cheapest cocktails.
As we said, all of those drinks included gratuity
That takes us on to our next a little bit.
So how do you know
if a drinks package is going to be worthwhile to you
or not .
We put together some calculations in our heads
because we're mathematicians apparently.
"Drink-maticians" more like!
"Drink-maticians"
We put some calculations together
to show you how much you would need to drink
to make good value of all three of these drinks packages.
So the best way to do this
is to add up some drinks that you drink in a normal day
and then add them all together and see what they come to per day.
And that will give you a good idea of how much it would be
if you drank your drinks normally
or you bought the actual package.
Its good to visualize how much you'd have to drink per day to make the most of the package.
Let's head into those calculations Ben.
For example per day -
If you were to drink about 4 beers, 1 wine, 2 cocktails and 1 soda.
This is going to cost you about $76 including gratuities.
Which is much cheaper than buying the drinks package.
The premium drinks package.
In this scenario
it's not really worthwhile purchasing a drinks package.
Because you're just not going to make the most of it.
There's about a $30 per day different.
You're gonna save a lot of money.
So looking at the soda package.
To break-even you'd have to drink about 2 sodas a day.
That quite doable. Really good value.
To break even on the wine and beer package.
You're going to have to be drinking about 6 or 7 glasses of wine per day
or 9 to 10 glasses of beer per day.
So you can get a good idea of how much things are going to cost you
by adding up all of the drinks that you will have on your average day
using the costs that we gave you earlier.
Does it hit that $118 charge that you're going to be paying
or is it worth you paying per drink?
So the premium drinks package on average you're going to have to be drinking
about 12 alcoholic beverages per day.
Which is quite a lot actually when you think about it.
Every single day remember!
So some days you might only have 2 or 3 drinks.
Others you may have 15.
You've got to get all of the prices in your head and figure out how much you're going to drink
and whether or not it's going to be worth it for you.
So let's run through
some of the other types of drinks that are available and how much they cost.
Don't forget it's not just alcoholic drinks that are included in most of these packages.
Premium coffees and teas cost around $3 to $6.
Fresh juices cost around $5.
Water - so tap water -
juices, coffee and tea
are usually available for free in the buffet during meal times.
That's the drip coffee that's available.
None of the speciality ones or anything.
How do you get these packages cheaper?
Look out for some good deals.
Especially the "Free at Sea" deals that Norwegian run.
Where you can usually pick two or three things
and one of those things is usually the premium drinks package.
So that way you can end up saving an actual fortune.
That makes the deal a really good value .
You just got to be thinking.
You're going to be saving up to a $118 per day.
If you choose the drinks package.
Out of the "Free at Sea"
the drinks package is the one that's usually worth the most amount of money.
Some of the other "Free at Sea" options are usually a little bit of onboard credit,
Free Wi-Fi, maybe a specialty dining package.
The premium drinks package is definitely the best value out of all of those things.
So we would recommend, even if you don't drink that much alcohol
Even if you don't drink that many alcoholic drinks
that you do pick that one.
So let's discuss some of the reasons why a drinks package is a really good idea.
Well it gives you real peace of mind.
Because you're paying everything towards the beginning or your cruise
or even before you get on to the cruise.
So you don't have to be worrying about how much money you're spending on drinks.
Because those prices and those drinks can really add up.
It does make the vacation a much more relaxed experience.
We've said this before.
You're not calculating your final bill at the end of the cruise.
You're not terrified of that piece of paper that's gonna be slipped under your door.
Because all your drinks are taken care of.
Also it means that you can try any drinks you want to.
You experiment.
So you can try all of those cocktails you wouldn't normally try.
Or try a spirit you've never tried before.
It's really good and really flexible.
As we said earlier on.
There are lots of drinks on the package.
Everything under $15 on the premium beverage package.
Trust me that's a lot.
So you can get shots, spirits, mixes, wines, beers, cocktails.
Even non-alcoholic cocktails and even your soda.
Why it might not be a good idea for you.
If you don't drink that much alcohol.
I wouldn't go pay.
I would still select on the "Free at Sea" deal.
Because you still getting all of those non-alcoholic beverages.
But if you don't drink that much or you just gonna have two or three a day
This is not for you.
You are going to save an absolute fortune.
Just think $118 per person.
If there's two of you $240 per day.
Over a seven-day cruise.
That's going to cost you an absolute fortune.
Just go ahead and put a bit of money aside
before you go and buy just the drinks that you want.
Or look at a soda package if you're just drinking sodas and not alcohol.
Another downside of the drinks package.
Is that you have to buy the package for your entire group.
So if there is one or two people in the group that don't drink alcohol
they're going have to end up paying for the drinks package
if one person does want the package in the group.
Another downside is that you do really feel the need to make use of your drinks.
You up drinking a lot during your cruise.
Because you want to get the value for money don't you.
Over a 7-night cruise this is really hard.
It's really hard to keep going.
With 12 to 15 drinks a day over a seven-day cruise.
Because some days you just wanted day off.
Or the days you just want to have one or two drinks.
Other days we want to go all out.
Have a party night and get loads of drinks in.
We have had this drinks package before.
As part of the "Free at seal- "Free at Sea" deal.
It is fantastic but you do feel yourself under pressure to drink.
You would think "I just want a soda"
but then you think "I need to make the most of this drinks package"
So you end up having it beer.
Sometimes it can be a bit of a chore.
Our end point is that it all comes down to you and how much you're going to drink.
During your cruise.
We really hope that we've made things a little bit clearer
about all of the different drinks packages on Norwegian and how they work.
Please let us know your experiences down in the comments below
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I guess that's it till next time.
Happy cruising and drinking!