Boozing on board

So with January finishing and all of you who participated in a “dry” month, it has prompted me to explore the wide world of drinking at sea and look into buying as you go vs drinks packages. As many companies for their January and February campaigns have opted to include a drinks package of sorts, it is however noticeable that the prices are higher than expected.

So with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, NCL and (rumoured)  Cunard all offering complimentary drinks packages with their cruises, just how successful have these offers been? I know that it has created a great interest in their products, however, there is always a slight disappointment when we get to the price of the cruise.

So it prompts the question. Is it really worth it? Normally I would expect prices for a normal cruise to be around the £100pppn mark, however, with these “free” drinks packages I am finding them well over £150pppn, which means for a couple for a 2 week cruise the cost is clearing £4000. Not exactly cheap.

With most cruise lines offering a drinks package of sorts  they range in price and exclusions. Royal Caribbeans’offer excludes spirits, so no good if you’re a whiskey drinker. Celebrities and NCL offer the most complete package in my opinion with beer, wines, spirits and cocktails included, they have certainly been popular.

I have stumbled across a interesting point though. What if you don’t drink? Again, I think NCL have done the best to overcome this issue, offering a speciality dining package in the drinks package place. Celebrity’s can be replaced with on board spend, but this is no way near the value of the drinks package. All very confusing.

Here is a link to all you need to know about drinks packages on offer, including what’s included and costs; http://www.cruise.co.uk/guides/cruise-information-drinks-packages/