We've just come back from 2 weeks on the Iona (lmprisoned in a care home furnished by Spoons). We had a bottle of wine each night + 2/4 pints of beers, our final bill at the end came to £675, but this included several meals where we paid additional costs. The drinks deals don't make any sense unless you want be 24/7 senseless.
It sounds like you didn't like Iona much then?! A drinks package won't work for everyone. But even with a few alcoholic beverages a day, interspersed with some soft / hot drinks or mocktails, it can be quite easy to match the price of the package, or even beat it! Not everyone who buys a package is senseless 24/7 - we certainly aren't!
@@NamyDoesCruising lt was only our 2nd cruise, the 1st was on a Marella ship (about to be scrapped & like 1995 wine bar) about 4 years ago, it was fun & we liked that. This was the wrong ship, the wrong itinerary & the wrong time of year, that was our fault not the ships. We learnt a lot.....the ship is way too big for us, it was totally impersonal & with a desperately dull corporate theme park vibe. We left the cabin guy a good tip & he was nearly in tears, he said nobody tipped nowadays? Outside at the pool, how can you have 3 waiters generating orders for 1 barman, it just can't work out, all 4 behind the bar and everybody would have been happy.😁 A clear example of a modern system being stand out stupid, not that the bean counters will take any notice....or is it to reduce the drinks served? Not for us, we'll give cruising a 3rd shot but put some decent thought into it next time.👍
Thanks for watching! 😃 Glad it helped you decide. Which way did you go? If you're referring to onboard credit....then yes, you can use it to spend on drinks, spa treatments, speciality dining and shore excursions just to name a few! 😃 Hope this helps!
I forked out for the deluxe, I am from Ireland and over here measures are 33ml compared to 25ml in England, so I can get doubles), but I will probably stick with cocktails mostly as I can drink them slowly enough but also enough of them to get "value" from the package
We definitely think it's worth getting the Deluxe package just for the double measures, and 250ml glasses of wine allowed. As you say they're not so generous in England! 😉 Although believe Marella Cruises' standard spirit size is 40ml, which is very much appreciated! 😂 Great idea to go for the cocktails, at around £8 a pop, you'll definitely get value out of the package! 😃
Interesting. Good summary at the end about what you would need to drink each and every day of the cruise to justify the package you pick. As for myself, i think I'll go without and choose whatever I like, whenever I like without worrying about reaching the minimum amount per day. I guess it depends on what type of drinker you are, but just remember if you would normally go for all those cocktails and wines / beers on a usual day, but over a week and along with the soft drinks too 😅 P.S - you can bring a litre of wine, spirits, champagne, beer or liquor on board a P&O cruise free or charge Per Person!
Thanks for watching and for your comment. As you say, it depends on what type of drinker you are. For us the drinks packages are a no brainer, but for others, such as yourself they're probably not worth the money. So don't blame you at all for paying as you go! The fact you can also bring alcohol onboard is good too! 😃
Can you please tell me if i purchase the drinks before the cruise does the money come out of my bank account immediately or will it be on my onboard account
If you purchase the drinks package before the cruise, then this will be charged immediately to your debit/credit card. If purchased onboard, it would be added to your onboard account, which is settled at the end of the cruise. Also, the 15 minute rule only applies to alcoholic beverages. Hope this helps!
As far as we know, the only drinks that are included in the price of your cruise are water, fruit juices and tea/coffees in the buffet all day, and in the main restaurants during meal times. Anything else will have to be purchased from the bars onboard, which are charged to your onboard account. It might be worth considering a drinks package if you think it is viable. P&O offer two non-alcoholic packages in addition to the alcoholic ones we discuss in the video. Hope this helps!
With the exception of tea and coffee from the buffet and brew it yourself in the cabin there are no drinks included. Even the fruit juice for breakfast is not available after about 11am. While some people think that drinks packages are good value, many do not including myself. Having signed up you are stuck with it. Cruise lines would not offer packages if they were not profitable!
Hello. Thanks for watching! 😃 If you're referring to the drinks package daily drinks limit - only alcoholic drinks count toward the limit, as Non-Alcoholic drinks are unlimited! Hope this helps!
Incuding tins I find that hard to believe lol P & O would charge you for the air if they could. Gun squirt yeah I can see that being free but tins hmmmm. I will book and go see. Many thanks@@NamyDoesCruising
@@Didderly In some bars, we were given the tins automatically, but in others, you have to request them! But we were never charged extra for them - which like you say is surprising! 😂😂
Tell us about it! Very stingy indeed....especially if you want the chance to try new drinks you wouldn't normally drink at home, if you don't like a drink, and have to leave one - you have one less to order! 15 drinks is easily doable, especially as the package runs from 6am-6am the following day!
We wouldn't avoid P&O, but would look for the right priced cruise with them in future, before we would consider booking another one. There's other cruise lines that we enjoy more or really want to try!
@@NamyDoesCruising - Im booked on the Explora 1 Journey for October, expensive, cant afford it but I expect it to be amazing. Not much more than a P&O all in and such better quality. Best to pay the extra and get what you want.
Hope you have a lovely time! 😃 You'll have to let us know your experience once you're back! Guess it's true what they say.... "You get what you pay for"!