Get the DRINK PACKAGE??? Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas Onboard Expenses, Miami Cruise

28 Comments

1. FYI: This video only includes the expenses that showed up on the bill. We paid for the internet package before the cruise, and the cash tip we left for our cabin steward are also not included in this sum!

2. Do you have a drinking problem? It sure sounds like it.

3. Just completed a 7-night western Caribbean cruise on Wonder of the Seas (4-11June 2023). It was the first cruise for 6 of the 8 of us in our group (me, wife, 2 adult children & their partners, my sister-in-law & her husband). None of us purchased any of the drink or specialty restaurant packages. My wife and I only ate at the complimentary restaurants…Main dining room a couple of times for breakfast and 4 times for dinner, lunch at the park cafe twice, 2 times at el loco fresh, and once in the windjammer. We had breakfast in the windjammer 5 days. Solarium cafe for dinner twice (reservations made for us—we didn’t request them).

   My wife doesn’t drink alcohol, but I purchased an average of 3 drinks per day (Brought bottles of wine, too—ended up with 5 because my son & his girlfriend don’t like wine and my daughter and her boyfriend only wanted one bottle—I gave one unopened bottle to the cabin attendant-along w/$50. Surprisingly, the two times we took bottles of wine to the main dining room for dinner, we were not charged a corkage fee.

   Our biggest single expense on our final bill was for the spa…wife & I had an acupuncture session: over $700!!!. When we handed the bill to sign at the end of our session, we were shocked at the cost—and the fact that they had added on 2 extra charges each that we did not request when we made the appointment: cupping and electrical stimulation; which were administered to us, but we were not asked during the session or told that it was extra. It kind of pissed us off. We, of course, did not leave any additional gratuity. Acupuncture session was $200, cupping $50, electric stimulation $50, plus the 18% automatic gratuity. We were going to go to the service desk to dispute the extra charges before the end of the cruise (we did not want to be confrontational with the Dr who administered the treatment) since they were not disclosed up front, but completely forgot—should have went right after the session.

4. Thumbs up for split bills on board!

   And about tip or gratuity: we follow the daily gratuity charge added to the onboard account. Then we have some cash for the waiter in the bar the takes good care of us and same for the MDR waiter if they take good and exceptional care of us. First next cruise we have some free beverages, need to figure out what to do with that.

5. I always remove ALL prepaid tips. It's not my responsibility to make the ships payroll. I tip what I want, to who I want when I want.

6. I'm in Australia and recently did a Royal caribbean cruise, the friend I was sharing a cabin with got a special on the deluxe drinks package and I would do the drinks package again in a heart beat, I didn't have to worry and was more experimental, I had wine with meals ( we didn't bring any onboard), cocktails, specialty coffee's and my fav scotch I can rearly afford. I added all these up and it was more than what I paid for drinks package. I'm a beer drinker at home but didn't have any as I could enjoy a cocktail or 2 or 3. I was never drunk or even close, I only got off the ship once. I also don't do the myriads of activities, I just enjoyed chilling out, playing cards, reading a book etc . In Australia our gratuity is included, so what did i spend? ( other than my drinks package) $10 for a new lanyard.
   Not bad I thought.😊

7. Is a refreshments package worth it for soda pop and bottled water? How much are refreshments only no alcohol package? Or is that even a thing offered… A no alcohol refreshments package?

8. Less than I thought you would have spent.

9. You spent less than $100 per day, including alcohol and the casino?? Man, you're adorable AND a cheap date!

10. Honestly I think you could be more generous with your tips, I guess it depends on whether you are following a European model of an American one but I figure the people doing service us on cruise ships are working their tails off and I would be giving them $3-5 as an extra tip to show appreciation for going above and beyond. After all even including your extra tips you spent less than $20 a day and that is getting shared across so many people.

11. I alway prepay gratuities but I still buy the drink package and then every drink I leave at least a $ on each drink so that’s 15$ x2 for my husband 30$ a day
    In addition specialty dining or MDR if great 20 percent

12. i know the feeling but our bill was from excursions couple massage and pictures done professionally on the ship yep 6,000 later . ouch .

13. At around $50.00 a day for a drinks package seems good value if you do like to have a few drinks. The drink prices you mentioned for wine and beer means if you had more than five drinks a day you would be in front. Lets face it if you're on holiday 4 or 5 beers and two or three glasses of wine with a meal each day isn't over the top. So a drinks package could be good value, especially if you aren't paying gratitude charges for each drink, I'm not sure if that's how it works? Thanks for a very informative video.

14. Less😊

15. I think it was not as much as thought . Thank you for showing the cost of the drinks. That helped decide not to take it on my next cruise!

16. Is this with the cruise room price? Or additional to the 1k for the cruise room itself?

17. The first accent definitely sounded like Brooklynese. We always tip our room steward waiter and the maitre de. In they stood around our table and talked with us. We were taking a trip after caring for &husband and father through a long final illiness with cancer the waiter were very friendly and the maitre d even a bit standoffish showed up at our table on the3rd evening. We talked about our families and their's. Grandchildren and husbands. They seemed interested in the fact my daughters and I nursed my husband through his illness. And yes I tripped them all. I

18. I am several months away from my first-ever cruise, and I am already researching repositioning cruises! Thanks for all your authentic reviews and cruise wisdom.

19. Excellent and interesting video! By the way, my husband and I do the same as you and your boyfriend. We also each have our own tabs. It works for us too! Love your channel!

20. I was so wrong you guys did an amazing job. I’m going to take a couple bottles of 9942. We leave out of Galveston next February so thank you you help me out a lot my brother and I will be going have a brother and sister time. Thank you once again.

21. 4,500

22. I was so wrong I thought 2200

23. Hi Morgan. I am also gay and have been with Owen for 22 years and we also have separate bills. It is just easier that way.

24. What a fun time we had aboard our World Record cruise across the Atlantic. Just checked our folio and we were very similar at $616. Ours looked a lot different however because it said shopping … shopping…. shopping. The Drink package on our last seven night cruise in January cost us more than the actual price of our cruise room. 😮 It was really great having a chance to meet you and Marcus on our trip. Looking forward to many more videos from our journey across the pond.

25. My parents took a meditation cruise on royal Caribbean lost at least 5000 in the casino, never received a free cruise back in early 2000. Not good.

26. We think a $1000 FYI we should have been on that cruise with you we love your videos please don't stop Dorothy and Joe from Miami

27. I don’t drink a lot, but I might do the drink package for the mixed drinks , it it included coffees

28. OMG – the commercial I got was an ad for your book! What are the chances?!?!?!?

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