Generally, if you’re planning a cruise and putting together your costs, you can easily Google how much a drinks package will cost per day for your chosen cruise line. However, for Royal Caribbean this isn’t the case.
Royal Caribbean uses and has used for some time, a dynamic pricing system for its drinks packages, meaning each sailing will have a different price.
Factors such as location, length of the sailing, time of the year and more, all playing a role. Royal Caribbean has been contacted for an explanation on how their pricing model functions.
Dynamic pricing is usually based around commodities that fluctuate in cost, like fuel. Some guests feel that, since alcohol does not go up and down not suffer from scarcities, linking it to a “dynamic” pricing sounds spurious.
The difference can be substantial. A recent post in an Australian Royal Caribbean Facebook group garnered attention as the drinks package dropped to just $92 per guest, with many passengers saying it’s the lowest price they’ve ever seen for the deluxe beverage package. Many cruisers commented on the post saying they’d saved themselves hundreds of dollars by booking the superior price.
However, sometimes the dynamic pricing has the opposite effect and cruisers are unhappy about paying extra, despite getting the same product.
For example, another cruiser reported the current price for the same package for her cruise is $191 per day. Over a 10-day cruise, that $99 difference would amount to an extra $990 to splash out, and given that the package has to be purchased by both adults in a cabin, that’s an extra $1980 for those who might wish to opt for the deluxe beverage package on their cruise.
You can see in the below images a deluxe beverage package down to $92 per day and another at $143, but that was previously at $191 per day, demonstrating the vast difference between what some customers are paying for the same service.
Other major cruise lines sometimes do sales on their drinks packages, but have a set price. This not only means that passengers all pay an equal amount but also that passengers can budget ahead of time. As soon as they see the price of a cruise fare, they can know how much it will cost after adding a drinks package, but Royal Caribbean cruisers won’t know until they book the cruise and enter their cruise planner.
The drinks package hack
- If you notice the price on your drinks package has decreased, you’re not totally out of the luck. Simply put, you can cancel your drinks package, then instantly rebook at the current price.
- While this is a handy tip, it not only can leave you short of cash as you wait your refund on the cancelled package, but also requires constant monitoring of price changes, rather than simply booking your cruise and package and then relaxing.
- Furthermore, it’s worth knowing that on sale days such as Black Friday, the drinks package generally drops in price a bit. Therefore, if you don’t want to go through the pain of checking the price every few days, it’s at least worth having a double check if you see an email about Black Friday sales or others promotions.
Why do Royal Caribbean do dynamic pricing?
- While this question can’t be answered exactly without insight from Royal Caribbean themselves, the way the prices are generally structured offers some insight.
- Generally, drinks packages are more expensive on shorter cruises and a bit cheaper on longer cruises. This is likely due to the fact that while a cruiser might go crazy for mojitos for a few days and get the value for their package, they are less likely to sustain this over a longer cruise. Therefore, it could be argued that dynamic pricing makes a cruiser less likely to get their money’s worth.
- In saying the above, the aforementioned $92 package is for an eight-day cruise, which isn’t particularly long. Therefore, dynamic pricing may also lead to cruisers finding particularly good deals.
- However, while some cruise faithfuls spend a lot of time scanning online forums and refreshing their cruise planner for price updates, many cruisers who love getting on a ship just as much, simply don’t engage in these price monitoring activities. This means they may be at a disadvantage against other slightly more astute or alert cruisers, and end up paying a premium.
Went B2B on PO recently and duty free shop on board was VERY naughty. First week to Cairns and Willis Is duty free prices were double, yes DOUBLE what they charged in same shop the following week, when we sailed to Vanuatu! Minute we left port, sailing to Vila, prices halved! Vila is well known duty free port.
Royal Caribbean are just using this system in the hope of getting extra money off those who do not know how to monitor and rebook drink packages or can’t be bothered. I have done many cruises on different cruise lines including RC, but would not bother even looking at them with this type mentality. What else are they trying this over, or thinking about trying it on? Excursions? Dining? Just give them a miss, plenty more cruise lines on the sea.
A complete and utter rip-off for all the drink packages.
Just paid 575.00 for a 7 day carnival cruise on Fire xe. It was totally not worth it and the ship is horrible
Stay away from this ship if at all possible. It’s like a mishmash of Carnival and Costa and the design is horrendous. There a long lines for everything.
I understand that in the past people used to abuse the drinks package giving drinks to other people, and that is why the drinks packages have been knocked up in price to totally ridiculous daily charges.
Worse still, On some cruise lines (Princess is one), if one person in a cabin buys a drink’s package, they make EVERY passenger in the same cabin HAVE to purchase the same drinks package.
At the RIDICULOUSLY HIGH daily prices being charged, all it does is encourage EXCESSIVE drinking so people feel they are “getting their moneys worth”. This then leads to bigger problems on board the ship with intoxicated passengers, and the trouble that brings with it, and it is not pleasant for the passengers in the neighbouring cabins.
There is no way that we would drink $50 per day let alone $100 let alone even more.!!!! And that is why we NEVER buy the drinks packages.
If responsible drinking is 2 glasses a day…. The drinks packages do nothing to help people make god decisions.
Looks like we will be cruising with Princess and Holland America as their pricing for drinks and WiFi are much more realistic and transparent. Their specialty restaurants are much better Priced than Royal Caribbean as well, Royal Caribbean are so overpriced all round much the same as their Celebrity brand.
We paid $114AUD FOR A 7 day cruise, which i think is around $77USD. Originally paid $132AUD but cancelled and rebooked when the price went down.
The alcohol prices are outrageous the only thing that will force Royals hand is for no one to purchase it. The price Royal would pay for alcohol compared to its sell price (on good authority in 2019 when Royal computers set the package at $18 a day they were just breaking even) just like the current prices of cruises is way over the top. We are being rightly screwed.
The reality and the question is, for 3-8 day cruise how badly does a person really need to drink? If they minimise their drinking and purchase as they go staying well under the daily price Royal will be forced to relook at its methods.
Let our wallets do the talking
Drink packages are a ripoff and a joke.
Cruising not so many years ago, you got all your drinks duty free once in international waters! Oh! gone are the good old days ☹️
To be honest, a much fairer pricing system should be introduced and enforced where each individual can order a drinks package separately. The way they are presently promoted, a drinks package basically forces the customer to drink in excess of their normal intake. In my opinion a prepaid drinks package should provide a discounted price for an average amount of alcohol consumption.
I assume that the cruise lines purchase their alcohol at duty free prices as it is consumed outside of Australian territory waters, so it would appear that they have massive margins that should reflect in the pre purchase packages offered. Where is the value for money for their clients?
Don’t forget we all pay the staff a gratuity b3cause the cruise lines ars skimping on wages for their staff.
I have had my gripe and would appreciate a response if my assumptions are incorrect.
Neither, prefer to pay as go. Never buy a drinks package.
I HAVE TRAVELLED ON MANY CRUSES YEARS AGO. ITHINK THE LATEST CRUISES WILL BE BRILLIANT
THANK YOU