Cost and necessity: do you need an unlimited drinks package on a cruise
Traveler Amanda Adler has been on more than 50 cruise trips and expressed her opinion on the unlimited drinks offered by companies. After going on a 7-day cruise aboard Symphony of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, she tracked how many drinks she consumed and how much they cost her.
Amanda says that although she likes to drink while traveling, the unlimited alcohol package on board is not worth the money. AOL explained why this is so.
The woman claims that when booking a cruise for her and her family members, the company offered to purchase one of the unlimited per person offers, the prices of which varied depending on promotions. Amanda emphasizes that, according to the company's policy, such packages have certain reservations. In particular, if one person buys such a package, then everyone else in their cabin must also do so. Given the prices of unlimited drinks and the additional costs of tipping, which were estimated to be more than $1,000, she decided to pay for drinks à la carte.
Amanda says that you can save money on alcohol by bringing it with you. Thus, passengers can bring up to 12 bottles of soft drinks and 1 bottle of alcohol per person. In addition, the cruise offered many free soft drinks, including various flavored waters.
Amanda claims that she spent $331 on a la carte drinks during her seven-day trip. She says that: "I paid $215 less than I would have bought a luxury drink package before sailing and $355 less than I would have bought on the ship. The most I spent on drinks for the day was $56, including specialty coffee, beer, and 3 cocktails."
"Could I have drunk more if I tried? Probably. And if I had an unlimited drink package, I might have been tempted to get my money's worth. I don't think I would have enjoyed doing that," says Amanda Adler.
Earlier, TravelWise reported on new cruises to look forward to in 2024.