9 things to know before buying the P&O Drinks Package

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Күн бұрын

Here are the 9 quick questions that will help you to work out if the P&O Cruises classic drinks package is worth it FOR YOU.
Just because the drinks package is value for money for some it doesn't mean it will be value for money for you. Most Drinks package review videos don't cover these important questions.
In May 2023 P&O made some changes to their drinks packages. if you want a recap of what the changes were then head on over to my blog post which runs through all the updates and changes in detail. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
🛟BLOG POST with all the details about the updates.
cruisewithamber.co.uk/po-crui...
For the purposes of this video I'm going to focus specifically on the Classic drink package launched in May 2023 because this is the closest equivalent to the previous ultimate drinks package,
When do the new drinks Package start?
It looks like drink packages will be rolled out across the fleet between 20 May - 6 July depending on the ship. For cruises which set sail before these dates, the current packages will still be available to purchase.
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I create videos especially for people like you who are happiest at sea, love cruise holidays and exploring interesting ports of call; whether you're someone who is just thinking about booking your first cruise holiday or if you're a seasoned cruiser who's already on the highest loyalty tier.
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Is the p&o drinks package worth it

Пікірлер: 81

@FraserAtSea Жыл бұрын

Brilliant video, and SO quickly put together after the news got released - solid effort!

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

I'll let you into a secret - this was ready to publish about 2 weeks before i uploaded it. but then rumours were circulating about the drink package changes so i had to hold off until i knew what these were.

@pradaman307 Жыл бұрын

Excellent thank you-we have decided on the deluxe package and we will book it pre cruise. It just seems right for us 2 knowing that there is no big bill to pay at the end of cruise . I don't think we will actually drink what we are paying for but what the hell-we are on holiday and we refuse to worry about money. We aim to have a great time and i'd rather not go on a cruise at if we were worrying about how much we are spending. Life is for living and we intend to live life to the full. We only cruise every 2 or 3 years and we make the most of it after saving hard for them. Enjoy your cruises everyone whatever you decide to choose.

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

I LOVE your attitude! have an awesome cruise.

@pradaman307 11 ай бұрын

@@CruiseWithAmber Thank you so much.

@markwatkin47 Жыл бұрын

Just home from a Britannia 7 days cruise, would consider the two of us moderate to heavy drinkers (though mostly Wine and/or lager), but this time didn't take the package and our final bill came to within £10 of if we had taken out the basic package but that bill also included a visit to the Sindu and Epicurean specialist restaurants, hope that helps someone make the decision

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

we worked out on our last Britannia cruise (7 nights) that we saved about £120 (in pure financial terms) compared to purchasing the drinks package. However we probably saved more than that because many of the drinks we bought wouldn't have been included in even the deluxe package.

@brendanfrain8040 Жыл бұрын

We don’t purchase he drinks package but did not know about the litre per person for the cabin. Great video. Thanks 👍🏻

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

thanks for watching!

@gerardmackay8909 Жыл бұрын

We did 15 nights on Arvia in March. It was repositioning so after 4 Caribbean stops we had the Atlantic crossing so lots of sea days. We are big drinkers on holiday but opted not to go for the package for all the reasons you stated (I was a huge fan of the amazing rum cocktails in the Amber Lounge which as you say are not included). Secondly, unlike Royal Caribbean, P&O appear really relaxed about bringing booze on board. Apart from the allowed litre each we bought local spirits in the Caribbean as presents ( expecting them to be taken from us until disembarkation) yet no one on security showed any interest. Anyway after 2 weeks of drinking to our heart’s content (beer, wine, cocktails, spirits, specialty coffees) our bar spend came to £870 and if we’d opted for the package, it would have cost us £1200 (and that wouldn’t have included any of the high end cocktails). Finally I’d say if you’re on a short 3 or 4 day excursion cruise to somewhere like Amsterdam and you’re going to party hard with friends it might be worth it, but over 15 days the constant drinking to get ‘value’ simply becomes exhausting ( we saw a lot of people order drinks and just leave them barely sipped).

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

Thanks for such a great reply! Drinks calculators can be useful - but they miss out on so much important info. I've got a new video coming up which does a day by day comparison of what we drank on a week's cruise with a side by side comparison - even if we paid of the free drinks we enjoyed (due to loyalty and cabin status) we still were under the cost of a drinks package AND had more variety.

@LifeAtSea50 5 ай бұрын

Very informative video Amber. Many Thanks 🥂

@CruiseWithAmber 5 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful! thanks for watching.

@gillianbreeze7997 Жыл бұрын

We did the drinks package for our holiday, 16 nights, used our on board spend and put the rest towards it, worked well for us

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

on board spend can be a great way to help with the cost of the drink package. it's just disappointing that you can't use onboard credit AND still get the 10% advance purchase discount.

@raykelly9956 6 ай бұрын

glad you mentioned this.......will see what occurs on our trip in 6 weeks

@MarcsCupofTea Жыл бұрын

I've just done my first cruise on the Iona last week and couldn't see how this is of any value at all. We're glad we payed as we go and had about 5 beers myself a day, my wife had 2 or 3 cocktails and maybe a gin and tonic in the evening and felt like we'd have to drink to an excess just to make it worth it

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

We tried the drinks package on Britannia and it did feel like some days we were drinking to just try to get the full value out of the package and to make up for port days.

@MarcsCupofTea Жыл бұрын

@@CruiseWithAmber And to me that's not what a holiday is about. I'd hate to miss out on a shore day just because I've drank too much and felt worse for wear, I understand some people want to and I have in the past on package holiday's but especially with Norway I went to see the Fjords and the beauty of Norway not to chuck as much booze down my neck. Thank you for your reply 😁 Marc

@stephennewton2777 11 ай бұрын

On my first cruise last year I bought a drinks package without really thinking it through. I’m taking a 2nd cruise, this time with P&O at the end of August and won’t bother. I’m not a big drinker and would prefer to be able to walk in a straight line, even on calm sea days.

@CruiseWithAmber 11 ай бұрын

I think many people make the same (understandable) mistake, thinking the DP will save them money. A bit of research in advance can save you £100s When we tried it, we made it work for us, but boy did that take some effort! - on some days when we didn’t feel like drinking we felt guilty because we weren’t getting the full value out of the package. It felt a bit like a ‘beat the drinks package’ task if I’m being honest - plus all the free drinks vouchers we kept getting as part of our loyalty tier were completely worthless.

@elizabethmckay8082 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info, was on the fence about taken the drinks package,don't think I'll bother

@CruiseWithAmber 11 ай бұрын

You’re welcome. It’s always good to PAYG if you’re unsure - it’s a simpler way to work out whether it’ll be worth it in the future (by looking at your bar bill at the end)

@PaulSmith-lv9qp 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for this concise overview of the packages. Based on our consumption it might not be worth having one, just pay as you go. Costa & mineral water being our biggest spend with the odd cocktail. Plan to see what prices are like on the first day and see. Thanks again

@CruiseWithAmber 10 ай бұрын

You’re welcome - have a great cruise!

@garyhunt4342 9 ай бұрын

It’s really simple…if you are going to have 0 - 4 drinks per day then pay as you go. If you want to get plastered every day/night then the package is for you! 14 night cruise x 2 people x £40 a day = £1120. So if you want to spend £1120 on booze for your holiday please go ahead.

@CruiseWithAmber 9 ай бұрын

For some people it gives peace of mind that everything is paid for. All the drinks I like are not actually in the package. So it will never be good value for me.

@Gazza-E Жыл бұрын

For me one of the big advantages of a drinks package is that I can try different drinks like craft beers and cocktails, if I don't like it it doesn't matter - I'll just get something else, whereas if I'm paying as I go I tend to stick with things I know I like.

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

That's such a great way to look at it! I just wish P&O cruises would include all the cocktails in the deluxe package (those in the Amer and Emerald bars are not included) so that there's more variety to choose from - there's still so many exclusions on the new packages.

@Gazza-E Жыл бұрын

@@CruiseWithAmber - Totally agree about the exclusions, however as a beer drinker I'm not too bothered about the limited cocktails as I'm happy to try anything on offer😀 - also I order wine with dinner which I normally wouldn't drink as it seems much easier to get a glass of wine in the dining room than it is to get beer (which is often flat by the time it arrives anyway as they have to go to a bar to get it). I will also have a few shorts which again I wouldn't normally drink, basically I'm like a kid in a sweet shop 😁

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

@@Gazza-E DP is great value for wine and beer and as you say - it allows you to try the full range P&O offer.

@elizabethmckay8082 11 ай бұрын

Am thinking the same.

@King.of.wishful.thinking Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this info ❤ booked on Arvia next May for 14 nights. We will opt for the refresh package as my wife would only maybe have one or two cocktails a night. We do however have lots of coffee and soft drinks through the day. I will take a litre of spirits on board 👍👍🍹🥂

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

You're welcome - thanks for being one of the first to watch and comment. 😊 I think PAYG does provide more choice over cocktails. But if you prefer having lots of Teapigs teas and costa coffee throughout the day, then perhaps look at whether you'd get value from the Non alcoholic package (depending what you're likely to consume on average each day) have a great cruise when it finally comes. I've got more on Arvia here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/f8mTpLGl157Pe3U.html

@gerardmackay8909 Жыл бұрын

I did Arvia Transatlantic in March (so lots of sea days where you may drink more) and I’d say the drinks package isn’t worth it unless you are at Oliver Reed levels of alcohol consumption. As Amber has pointed out the high end drinks only come with a 20% discount (we drank a LOT of the fabulous rum cocktails in the Amber Lounge) so sticking within the package price the choice is limited. Also, unlike other cruise lines, the pay as you go price is very reasonable and to exceed your allowance as a beer drinker you’d need to be on 9 pints a day. Anyway we drank more than was good for either of our livers a whole array of drinks and we spent £850 over 15 days (the package would have cost £1200 and would have excluded our favourites).

@gerardmackay8909 Жыл бұрын

Oh and by the way Arvia crew weren’t at all concerned about bottles of drink bought ashore being brought on board. We bought rum and gin as presents in a couple of Caribbean islands and thought they’d be taken off us and stored (but no one bothered) so if we’d felt inclined we could have boozed on freebies in our cabin.

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

😂 "Oliver Reed levels of alcohol consumption".

@gerardmackay8909 Жыл бұрын

@@CruiseWithAmber Ollie would definitely have benefitted from the package 😀 though ordering just singles would have irritated him

@maxinegolden3097 11 ай бұрын

This was such a great video. We are just about to book a two week Caribbean cruise and I've been like a rabbit in headlights wondering about whether I should be buying a drinks package. From what you have explained & from a lot of the comments & replies...it's a 'no' for me! We knew about the litre bottle pp that you can bring on board so had already decided on Gin (For pre dinner drinks) & Baileys (for a night cap!) and having seen that people bought rum in the ports, and it wasn't taken off you, that's me sorted!!I'm looking forward to trying the speciality cocktails so the drinks package wouldn't have included them. Huge thank you to you & all the lovely people who have commented. 🙏🏻💕

@CruiseWithAmber 11 ай бұрын

Maxine - it can get really confusing, I know. I created this video especially for people like you who are trying to work it all out. Plus all my lovely subscribers who leave comments are so helpful - they're great. It's so important to know what's NOT included in the drinks package too - such as speciality cocktails, wine and beer flights and even room service drinks. Have an absolutely fantastic time in the Caribbean... and cheers! ☀😎🍹🌴

@viper9x 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video, I have 9 nights booked on the Azura next October with the missus and she is the only one who drinks between the two of us, for us to break even she would have to drink somewhere up to £70-£90 worth of drinks for it to be worth it, minus whatever soft drinks I get. I'm not sure she would make it to even half of the excursions when tanked up that much. Bringing in a litre bottle each + the complimentary champagne in our cabin should also keep the bill down quite a bit so I can pamper her with other things...

@CruiseWithAmber 6 ай бұрын

That’s such a great way to look at it. We like to pamper ourselves with the gin flights, (which are not on the package) The drinks package is great if you both drink a lot of beer or wine which is where the most value and savings can be had. But even then it can feel like ‘chase the package’ after the first few days to get your moneys worth throughout the entire cruise. Thanks for watching and have a great cruise.

@MJC1124 Жыл бұрын

The more ports of call on a cruise, the worse value a drinks package becomes. That is, of course, assuming you get of the ship. I have never bought a package and after 19 cruises have never regretted that. Cruise lines would not offer packages if they were not advantageous to them.

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

Spot on with that last point. I tried the drinks package on Britannia on a med cruise with the family and even then it didn't work out good value for money for us (for various reasons - most of which are covered by the 9 questions in this video).

@maureenmahon6272 2 ай бұрын

I'm the only adult in the cabin travelling with two under 17's onboard to the Fjords. I'm in two minds about getting the classic. I can easily drink a bottle of wine at lunch & one with dinner. The children can drink two cokes with meals when we're out to lunch or dinner on holiday. They would get the refresh for free. So, I'm debating on whether it's worth buying.

@CruiseWithAmber 2 ай бұрын

the package is great if you like wine and beer, so you might find it's value for money for you. Whatever you decide - have a great cruise to the Fjords!

@Discovery-princess Жыл бұрын

I always pre purchase by drinks package Almost a year in advance The last one I brought was the ultimate drinks Package At the old rate of £39.99 A-day And turns out that actually turns into the Deluxe drinks So I managed to get a big save right there on top of is there on top of my loyalty status. But also, with that rule of 15 drinks A-day, I don't think it really counts because I'v. drunk more than 15 on A few occasions. And they never stopped me. So, top tip ALWAYS pre- Purchase your drinks package on the day of the drinks package on the day of booking

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

that's such as great bonus to get it upgraded.

@JakeyBoy112233 Жыл бұрын

Hello there, great video! Can i just ask a quick question, i rewatched this part again and again trying to fully understand. I am due to book a cruise on the Iona, a deal at the moment comes with on board credit worth £500, i wasnt going to get a drinks package you use this towards ala carte restuarants and drink. Are you saying that if i do not get a drink package, i cannot use this onboard spending money to pay for drinks? Or just that i cannot use the spending money at all, if i dont have a drinks package? Its very cheeky of them! This is not advertised at all when booking, ive even looked at the T&Cs!

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

⚓🛟Hello! 🛟⚓thanks for watching - wow! - that's a great amount of OBC - well done for securing that deal. OK, the important bit first: You can use your OBC to pay for practically anything ON BOARD (Spa, Speciality Dining, Drinks package, drinks, shopping, Duty free.. (there may be some restrictions in the casino) ) If you buy the drinks package BEFORE you sail (via the cruise personaliser web page) you CAN'T put your OBC towards it (as on board credit only applies on board) but you will get a 10% discount on your drinks package for purchasing in advance. If you decide to buy the drink package on board then yes, you can put your on board credit towards it. The advantage of buying it in advance is that you get a 10% discount - so you just need to decide what's best for you - paying for the drinks package in advance and getting 10% off or paying for is on board and putting that lovely OBC towards it. Hope that helps - and have a great cruise!!

@JakeyBoy112233 Жыл бұрын

@@CruiseWithAmber thank you so much for explaining! I understand now. Yes it’s a current deal on sea view rooms, direct with P&O and as this is going to be our first ever cruise, I just want to experience it. It’s a Canary Islands trip from Southampton in September 24. I’m not sure I’ll like the canaries as me and my partner perfect the Greek islands for culture etc, so I figured this would be a great way to experience them!

@WayneGreig 3 ай бұрын

what are the selected spirits in the clssic drink package?

@CruiseWithAmber 3 ай бұрын

I've got a blog post coming up on this but in the meantime you can check out this post. cruisewithamber.co.uk/po-cruises-drinks-packages/

@dannygeebee 4 ай бұрын

Depends on how much grog you like to drink

@dannygeebee 4 ай бұрын

It’s limited to 15 drinks a day which isn’t enough

@kkaybrunel752 10 ай бұрын

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 1:21

@CruiseWithAmber 10 ай бұрын

Hi - if you pay before the cruise then you are charged immediately (subject to your banks/credit card processing times of course) unfortunately you can’t use your on board credit until you get on board ship.

@kkaybrunel752 10 ай бұрын

If i have a deluxe or a refresher package do you have to wait 15 min to reorder soft drinks

@CruiseWithAmber 10 ай бұрын

@@kkaybrunel752 Hi, the P&O terms state that all non-alcoholic drinks included in the package are unlimited, but "only one drink may be ordered per package at any one time at a minimum of 15-minute intervals".

@darrenmartin3774 10 ай бұрын

do they do a wine package

@CruiseWithAmber 10 ай бұрын

Yes, they still do the wine packages, (6 bottle and 12 bottle) but you can only purchase these on board. However now they don’t keep the half finished bottles of wine for you - you have to take these back yourself)

@mrfixit2788 11 күн бұрын

Not exactly a good advert for cruising as it seems lots of people are pissed!

@elainehazell9693 Жыл бұрын

Do you get free coffee with meals I.e breakfast

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

Yes in the main dining rooms at all meal times - plus there’s coffee available throughout the day in the horizon buffet and in the Quays (but it’s not costa coffee) plus there’s hot chocolate available at the late night buffet ☕️

@elainehazell9693 Жыл бұрын

@@CruiseWithAmber thank you x

@catherinecann1661 5 ай бұрын

@@CruiseWithAmber😊

@salex8813 10 ай бұрын

Anyone over 40 isn’t a big drinker anyways the packages are more for younger people who love to drink me and partner worked out we would be spending 80 just on cocktails in the evening that doesn’t cover any drinks during the day so the package works out cheaper for us by a mile also she loves Costa so that would rack up to st over 100

@CruiseWithAmber 10 ай бұрын

I can easily drink £80 of cocktails per day. Unfortunately they’re the cocktails which are not included even in the deluxe package.

@andicampbell8621 5 ай бұрын

We are all in our 60s and trust me, we will take FULL advantage of the package 👍😉

@emilyrawlings Жыл бұрын

They are terrible value for money. For our two week cruise, this would add over £1000 to the total, terrible.

@luketingley9579 Жыл бұрын

I think I would agree

@CruiseWithAmber Жыл бұрын

The problem is people work it out by using a simple drinks per day calculator and don't factor in these 9 questions before buying, so they end up wasting hundreds of pounds but thinking they getting value for money.

@jimmywailes8087 5 ай бұрын

* This drinks package is offered by P&O because it makes them money ! * Good if your an alcoholic * Excessive drinking could spoil your holiday.

@CruiseWithAmber 5 ай бұрын

If you just drink beer and wine and like coffee then it can be good value. Otherwise, not so much good value. We’ve tried both and you can make it work, but should you really need to make something if it’s supposed to try to save you money? 🤷🏼‍♀️