Podcast Cruise 6.0!!! Official Info

[disneysteve]

There is only one Alcohol package now.
It's called the Deluxe and its basically the same as the old Ultimate

What are typical drink prices? What's the break even point for the package which is $43/day I think?

 

[racefans44]

In case you're interested on this weeks Dreams Unlimited Travel Podcast we discuss our recent Rhapsody of the Seas Greek Isles Cruise with comparison of similar spaces to what our Podcast Cruise 6.0 cruisers will find on the Oasis of the Seas

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Thanks, John, for the recommendation. I watched the podcast and I was convinced to purchase the internet package. I had never really considered it before but after watching the podcast, I decided that it would be worth the cost. Also, when you are planning the activities, could you consider a slot and black jack tourney like we had on the Alaska cruise? I really enjoyed those and think others would too. Thanks!

 

[Jobie]

I'm not really interested in the stop at Labadee anyway but I was wondering how it fared in the hurricane. Does anyone know?

Earlier this week I saw an article stating Labadee as not impacted much. Sorry, but I cannot find the link right now.

The first time I did this itinerary, Labadee was the one I was looking forward to the least. However, I found it beautiful, and I cannot wait to get back. The views of the mountains are incredible, and the walk out to Dragon's Breath is pretty cool. The beaches are a little rocky, and not the best for snorkeling, but it is still a good beach day. Plenty of chairs, and places to relax under palm trees. You might be surprised by how much you like it.

 

[Jobie]

What are typical drink prices? What's the break even point for the package which is $43/day I think?

This past year, Royal Caribbean has upped their drink prices. All cocktails start at $10, even simple ones, and the range is usually $10-12. Beers run $6-7.

If you are mostly a beer drinker, you will be drinking a lot of beers to break even. If you are more of a cocktail drinks, I took the average price ($11), and it came out to 3.9 drinks a day for the current sale price of $43/day. At full price ($55), you are looking at 5 drinks a day to break even.

Here are some good articles on this:

Drink package break down: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2...uy-royal-caribbeans-unlimited-alcohol-package

Drink prices: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-drink-prices

 

[disneysteve]

The first time I did this itinerary, Labadee was the one I was looking forward to the least. However, I found it beautiful, and I cannot wait to get back. The views of the mountains are incredible, and the walk out to Dragon's Breath is pretty cool.

Thank you. I'm glad to hear that. We have absolutely zero interest in the beach but if there are nice areas to walk and pretty views, that would be great. That is something we do enjoy.

 

[disneysteve]

I took the average price ($11), and it came out to 3.9 drinks a day for the current sale price of $43/day

That was about what I was figuring. We'll definitely pass on the package. There might be times when one of us would have 4 drinks in a day but it wouldn't be a daily thing and it wouldn't likely be both of us. Cheaper to pay as we go.

 

[mikelan6]

Thank you. I'm glad to hear that. We have absolutely zero interest in the beach but if there are nice areas to walk and pretty views, that would be great. That is something we do enjoy.

I am not a beach person either and found Labadee nice to walk around and see the sites.

 

[sarahgirl]

For those of you with GTY rooms... you should check your RCCL account. I was just assigned my today. I had a C2 and was assigned a C2 (14229).

 

[Greeny T]

There is only one Alcohol package now.
It's called the Deluxe and its basically the same as the old Ultimate

oh really? As little as a couple to a few weeks ago there was still both of those options. I only know because I was on the site about to book, then we decided to wait. Good to know. I'll have to re check into it.

 

[Jobie]

oh really? As little as a couple to a few weeks ago there was still both of those options. I only know because I was on the site about to book, then we decided to wait. Good to know. I'll have to re check into it.

Yeah, I think the packages changed back at the start of September. They have three packages now:

• Classic Soda Package - unlimited sodas and a refillable mug to be used at Freestyle stations (from $8/day)
• Refreshment Package - includes the soda package, along with bottled water, premium coffee drinks (but not at the Starbucks kiosk), fresh squeezed juices, and non-alcoholic cocktails. Good for smoothies and such. (from $26/day)
• Deluxe Package - includes everything in classic soda and refreshment, along with any alcoholic beverage up to $12. You also receive a discount on bottles of wine (40% off on bottles up to $100 and 20% off bottles over $100). If you order a drink that is over $12, you have to pay the difference. (from $55/day - book now and you can get it at $46/day)

 

[Greeny T]

Yeah, I think the packages changed back at the start of September. They have three packages now:

• Classic Soda Package - unlimited sodas and a refillable mug to be used at Freestyle stations (from $8/day)
• Refreshment Package - includes the soda package, along with bottled water, premium coffee drinks (but not at the Starbucks kiosk), fresh squeezed juices, and non-alcoholic cocktails. Good for smoothies and such. (from $26/day)
• Deluxe Package - includes everything in classic soda and refreshment, along with any alcoholic beverage up to $12. You also receive a discount on bottles of wine (40% off on bottles up to $100 and 20% off bottles over $100). If you order a drink that is over $12, you have to pay the difference. (from $55/day - book now and you can get it at $46/day)

Hey, yes. Thanks for the info. I actually just went on the site to look for myself, and then called RCI. I have to admit, I'm kinda super bummed they changed these options. As soon as I saw $12 and under for cocktails, I knew it wasn't going to include Premium or Top Shelf Spirits. I wanted to be sure, so I double checked with the RCI Rep what exactly they considered Premium Spirits, and what was included. She'd said most of the "Premium" Spirits were included to $12 and under. She then said it's when you get into The "Super Premium" Spirits that you start getting to around $14, which is what I assumed most top shelf would be. What they consider "Premium", is not "normal" top shelf liquor. If you like to drink Grey Goose, Belvedere, Hendricks, Patron, Crown Royal, I'm pretty sure any Johnny Walker or even spirits like Tanqueray, and Biccardi (which in my opinion shouldn't be on the "Super Premium" Tier. It should be where they are considering Absolut at their "Premium" Tier), then know you will always be paying whatever the difference is above $12. This may still be a great deal for some people. We're trying to figure out now though if we'd rather just pay as we go, or pretty much always pay the difference on our beverages. May still be worth it, but I have to say, the more people I speak to about it, I think they should've left the Beverage Packages the way they were. Let people decide how much they want to pay per day. Seems silly to me. Anyone else agree?

 

[Jobie]

Hey, yes. Thanks for the info. I actually just went on the site to look for myself, and then called RCI. I have to admit, I'm kinda super bummed they changed these options. As soon as I saw $12 and under for cocktails, I knew it wasn't going to include Premium or Top Shelf Spirits. I wanted to be sure, so I double checked with the RCI Rep what exactly they considered Premium Spirits, and what was included. She'd said most of the "Premium" Spirits were included to $12 and under. She then said it's when you get into The "Super Premium" Spirits that you start getting to around $14, which is what I assumed most top shelf would be. What they consider "Premium", is not "normal" top shelf liquor. If you like to drink Grey Goose, Belvedere, Hendricks, Patron, Crown Royal, I'm pretty sure any Johnny Walker or even spirits like Tanqueray, and Biccardi (which in my opinion shouldn't be on the "Super Premium" Tier. It should be where they are considering Absolut at their "Premium" Tier), then know you will always be paying whatever the difference is above $12. This may still be a great deal for some people. We're trying to figure out now though if we'd rather just pay as we go, or pretty much always pay the difference on our beverages. May still be worth it, but I have to say, the more people I speak to about it, I think they should've left the Beverage Packages the way they were. Let people decide how much they want to pay per day. Seems silly to me. Anyone else agree?

I went ahead and got the drink package this past weekend, while I got it at the $43/day price. On the ship it is $55/day, which is way too much IMO. I am still on the fence though, and might request a refund. If this was a shorter cruise, then I would not be struggling as much to think what I want, but with it being 7 days, I am trying to really think how much I want to drink vs how much I feel like I will have to with this package. So I have been trying to realistically find out how much I would want to drink. I think I will come out ahead by keeping what I got, but not by a whole lot.

 

[shari2137]

We have also gone back and forth on the drink package. We had previously purchased during an earlier sale and before they changed the packages. At the time of our purchase, it was called the premium package. My understanding is that it will now be converted to the Deluxe Package. I knew at a minimum we would be ordering the soda package, so when I deduct that from the cost of what we paid for the premium package, for us it came out to $35. per day. I would rather go ahead and pay upfront then get a bill at the end of the trip for our drinks. Typically we are not big drinkers, but we figured spread out through the day and dinner that we could see having 3 drinks a day and with the cruise being 7 days.

 

[Greeny T]

We have also gone back and forth on the drink package. We had previously purchased during an earlier sale and before they changed the packages. At the time of our purchase, it was called the premium package. My understanding is that it will now be converted to the Deluxe Package. I knew at a minimum we would be ordering the soda package, so when I deduct that from the cost of what we paid for the premium package, for us it came out to $35. per day. I would rather go ahead and pay upfront then get a bill at the end of the trip for our drinks. Typically we are not big drinkers, but we figured spread out through the day and dinner that we could see having 3 drinks a day and with the cruise being 7 days.

That was my point too. I don't know why they changed the packages to where there is a limit on the drinks you can prepay for. I would've preferred they kept a package for all top shelf liquor, rather than having to having to pay a few extra dollars every time I order a drink. Like I said before, it may still be worth it. The whole idea of prepaying, to then still have to pay. doesn't make a lot of sense ya know?

 

[OKW Lover]

The whole idea of prepaying, to then still have to pay. doesn't make a lot of sense ya know?

I understand the point. I also don't care for the "pressure" of making the package pay off. Val & I certainly enjoy our wine or an occasional beer/cocktail. But some days we might not have enough to make it worth while. Especially on port days. So then we get behind the curve and have to drink more the other days. Rather than get into that situation, we prefer to just pay as we go.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I don't drink enough to make any packages worth my while, and for each person to pay each day is a lot for my group... Now the internet package is a different story, and we got it when it was still on sale. My daughter, Kelly, got the regular, I got it with streaming, and Nick & Yasmin are going commando .

We also signed up for the wine tasting and Prohibition event. So, if any of you signed up for those, we'll see you there!

We also signed up for excursions at every port (it's their first Caribbean cruise, so they are over the moon right now). If any of you are doing any of the following we'll see you there, too.

• They were a little aggressive for our Haiti day. We're doing the coaster (one ride), historic walking tour, and wave jet tour.
• For Jamaica we're doing the Bamboo Beach Club & Falls VIP package
• For Cozumel we're doing the Mayan Frontier by Horseback & Ecolounge Beach Break

We ARE planning on taking some wine to drink with dinner. Does anyone have experience bringing your own bottles of wine?

 

[WebmasterJohn]

Update in first post.

First Event for Podcast Cruise 6.0 has been finalized - Island Roots and Chocolate Traditions Shore Excursion with Teresa and Craig.

 

[disneysteve]

It's really tough to know if we want to do the tour without knowing what other options there will be. What are the cancellation terms if we register for something and later change our minds? Or are we locked in when we register?

 

[WebmasterJohn]

It's really tough to know if we want to do the tour without knowing what other options there will be. What are the cancellation terms if we register for something and later change our minds? Or are we locked in when we register?

This shore excursion is non-refundable and non-transferrable once booked.

I can tell you that there will not be any other event that conflicts with this event. We are trying very hard to make sure that none of the events we are planning conflict with each other. They may conflict with other options from the ship but not from the team.

 

[disneysteve]

Thank you, John.