JEFF OUT OF CONTACT First piece of business is that I'm leaving on a trip and may not have Internet for an extended period of time. Between now and American Thanksgiving, November 24, my Dad Joe Wagg will be available if there are any issues. He's at absocruise@gmail.com. I'll be heading to South America and Antarctica. If you'd like to follow my adventure, here's the link. DRINK PACKAGES
Royal has listed drink packages and some excursions for you to book. We'll address excursions later, but drink packages need some attention.
Unless you are a Diamond member or above, this cruise does not include drinks. You can always get standard coffee, tea, iced tea and usually some form of punch at meals, but sodas, specialty coffees, bottled water and alcohol are all charged per drink. Prices are similar to what you'd find in a bar in a major city. There are a number of drink packages available, and you can access them by logging in to RoyalCaribbean.com and click on the Manage My Cruise menu item. Bottom line: the alcoholic beverage package which includes top shelf drinks will cost $2,246.16 per cabin. This includes gratuity. Both people in the cabin have to sign up per Royal policies. Solo travelers pay $1123.08, of course, This is what's included: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/media-assets/pmc/content/dam/menus/en/3222/3222.pdf
This is a 20% discount over the normal price, and if you're committed to a drink package, this is the best deal you're going to find. To my way of thinking, for a 14 day cruise you'll save money if you just order drinks as you'd like them. On longer cruises, the average number of drinks consumed per day goes down, and you'll not have access to this plan when you're in port, so you'd have to pay for drinks there anyway. However, there is a psychological element to "not having to worry about it" and just ordering what you want with no slips or running tally. I get that, and that might make the package worth it for you. Other packages that might be of interest: The $9 per day soda package is probably worth it if you're a heavy soda drinker, and it can be booked for just one person, not the whole cabin. This is a 30% discount. The specialty coffee packages may also be worth it, and there's a new specialty coffee card that gives you 15 drinks for about $2.50 a piece. Also, on boarding day, guests may bring onboard two (2) 750 ml bottles of personal wine or champagne per stateroom in their carry-on luggage. This is meant to be consumed in your stateroom, but no one's going to stop you from filling a glass and heading to the bar. Have a look at the packages, and let me know if you have any questions. This is the cheapest time to buy any of them, but there's no rush: it's likely this offer will be available for months.
I hope everyone is hale and hearty, and looking forward to our grand adventure next year! ~ Jeff Wagg