The vlog is 2 yrs old, I live in the US, I'll likely never be on a P&O ship in my life and I doubt I would need a drinks package...but it's cold and rainy here and I have a cold and a fever and I just wanted some Linz to hang out with and try to feel better. So I got a nice cup of Yorkshire Gold and a warm snug blankie and away we went!! Thanks very much you two! ❤
What a lovely comment Casey. This brought a massive smile to our faces this morning. Hope you are feeling a lot better and that the cold and fever is on its way out and that cuppa Yorkshire Gold helped too. Linzi and Mark
Thanks for the comment Andrew. We really do hope they overhaul the drinks package on P&O sooner rather than later. It really was the thing that let the line down well that and Beach Club Restaurant ;) and thank you for watching our video. Linzi & Mark
Ultimate Drinks Package should include pretty much everything on the menu except the expensive wines/champagnes etc. We was on Ventura last year and to be fair some of the staff didn't over charge us for the additional cocktails and said not to worry etc. We have just come off of Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas and the hangovers were proof the package was better haha!
Ha ha ha, that should absolutely be the proof if the package is good value Rob. We do completely agree, if you are calling something "Ultimate", then that is what it should be, whereas at the moment it feels more like "Absolute Minimum". Sure it doesn't have to included high end fizz or spirits, but you should be able to get any menu listed cocktail or "normal" spirit and mixer, and really doubles too. As for things like water, then really why only let you have 500ml cans, when you are having a meal, just let people have a full bottle of San Pellegrino (or similar). When we last went on Royal a few years ago, whilst the packages can be pricey, there was never anything we asked for that wasn't on the package, and it just becomes a much better, more relaxing experience. Thanks for taking time to watch our video, and to get in touch on the comment too. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Love the style and relaxed way on how you present your videos - very refreshing from the 'norm' I tend to see. Agree with your outcome and think the DP is over priced. We all want value for money and I could not drink that much to cover the cost of the package - and me and the wife like a drink. We have had DPs on other cruise lines but only when they have been on offer as part of the whole cruise price which makes it good VFM and as you pointed out it is nice to have a drink when you want to and not worry about the bill at the end. Just need to watch you other VLOGS now.
Thank you Keith for such a lovely comment. You are spot on with the other cruise line comparisons for the drinks packages. When they are part of an all inclusive deal you might pay a bit more (but far less than a seperate DP) but the value for money seems much more. It is lovely to have you part of the channel community and if you have any questions yod be most welcome on the Monthly live stream and our Suite Natured Facebook Group. Linzi and Mark.
Excellent review.. Totally agree, who wants to have to worry about what your ordering. Takes so much away from the Vacation.. Your counting pennies at home just to get on the cruise (hoping to be worry free) and then you have to count pennies while on the cruise.. dang that sucks..
Hilton Hotels are like that now with their food and beverage credits. You have to constantly figure out the amounts including tax to figure what you will owe when you check out. I stopped going to that brand in the USA which is only where they started those credits.
Very good video and well explained. You're so right about relaxing on a holiday and not wanting to spend ages trying to work out if your drink is included in the package. Yes calling it an ultimate package is a bit of a joke. I'm on the Azura in 3 weeks and I think you know wether I'll be buying the package!
Thank you Martin. We are glad you enjoyed it. Weare guessing you might be going without the Ultimate Package on your upcoming Azura cruise. Have a lovely day, and a Merry Christmas. Linzi and Mark
I was impressed by the selection of beers and cider, however, I did find it madness when a large wine under £6.95 wasn't included because it was classed as a double. It's much better value when you get the kids for free as we did. I found it OK for a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. We ordered a few mocktails and Costas on the adult's package during the day for the kids which made it worthwhile. We definitely saved on sea days but probably didn't when off the ship for a full day. Net, net, I'm sure we broke even or slightly better without having to worry about spend.
It really does seem to work out better value for anyone with children with them as, if there are four of you it's less than £20 per person per day which is not bad at all. The thing we love most about drinks packages is the same as you, not having to worry about what you've spent. It is so liberating. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
Great review! On Ventura last week, I opted to avoid the drinks package. After a week of drinking (and not restricting myself), I saved about £90 vs taking the package, so wouldn't opt for the package unless it was discounted!
Thank you for watching and your comment. Well done on doing the maths better than we did 😂 But seriously £90 is not an insignificant amount. And you still had what you wanted when you wanted it. And that’s the important part. If the package doesn’t offer you the right value then just do exactly what you did. We will do that next time we are on P&O cruise for sure unless the package has changed fairly significantly. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured I completely agree. That said, I didn’t have the usual ‘blow outs’ that I would have if it were ‘free’, but my health will thank me for that…! Haha
Thanks for your honest review we were on Iona and bought the drinks package, a lot of drinks were not available, were going on the azura in June but we won't be buying the package. I think the only thing we might miss is the costa coffee in the morning, no we won't we will just buy it . Thank you.
We said exactly the same Lenny in response to the Coffee, it is a great spot, and we'd simply buy it as needed. We really hope the drinks package improves sooner rather than later. Linzi & Mark
I've just got back from a cruise on the Ventura, and completely agree with your review. Bar prices onboard were similar to a pub back home, and I doubt if we ever went anywhere near the £40 daily cost of the drinks package. The petty restrictions were also frustrating. We caught covid and had to spend the last day of the cruise in a quarantine cabin and rely on the very slow room service. When we ordered our evening meal, I asked for two bottles of beer for the night, but they said that because we had the "ultimate" drinks package, we could only have one per order!
On no, a quarantine cabin and they were still making you order one beer at a time. That is such poor service. Sure stick to the rules when people are around the ship but in those circumstances a bit of discretion makes much more sense. We hope you are feeling much better now. Thanks so much for watching our content and taking time to tell us about your experience on Ventura . Take care, Linzi and Mark
Totally agree. We read it through and checked the menus - it’s just not worth it. P&O have kept the cut off at £6.95 but then put the prices up... most cocktails used to be £6.95, now hardly any of them are. It’s a rip off.
Hi Lorna, interesting to hear that the cocktails used to much cheaper previously. That would explain why it seems such bad value if they increased those prices but kept the drinks package cap as it was. It seems such an easy fix for P&O, we really hope they update it soon. Thanks for watching. Linzi & Mark
Hi Steve, you will see in our upcoming Iona Full Cruise Review, there were things about it we loved and things we didn't. Obviously their drinks package is something we really don't rate highly though. Linzi and Mark
Just back from 2 weeks on Azura. Didnt realise you could book the drinks package weekly so opted for drinks package for the 2and week. Saved us an absolute fortune. 2 coffes a couple of waters or soft drinks already add up to a tenner each. Cocktails we thought were not as strong as others we had tasted , so if we hadn't of purchased the drinks package I wouldnt of bothered drinking cocktails. Well worth the money for us.
Hi Christopher. We didn’t know you could book for just one week at a time on a longer cruise. And we are on a two week Iona cruise in Nov. Very interesting. On the other part of your comment. Drinks packages really are down to individuals as to whether they work or not. We predominantly, on cruises at least, drink cocktails, and the value just wasn’t there at all for us, as you will have seen, but if it worked for you that’s awesome. The coffees and soft drinks though were great. Thanks for watching and taking time to comment. Have a lovely weekend. Linzi and Mark
Hi I think the reason we could do drinks package for 1 of the 2 weeks was because there was one or 2 weeks cruise available . If only a 2 week cruise is available you need to take the package for 2 weeks
Also if you for instance like a certain wine for the £6.95 . There is no guarantee that bottle will be available in the next venue. Something to watch out for, I sailed twice on Iona last year and a merlot for example can range from £6.95 to £12.95 a glass. Just stepped off Sky Princess on a plus package and much more transparent. I have only paid as I go on P&O but if you like the same standard spirit / cocktail or beer........coupled with having kids. It may still offer some value.
Very good point Graham. We had several great glasses of wine in The Glass House, that were in the package, but similar ones in other bars/restaurants were outside of the package. Princess Plus/Premier (if you've seen the review) are much more transparent, and if you want to spend a bit more, you just pay the difference in the package allowance to the higher priced drink. Rather than just a 20% discount off the price. We've never been able to figure the logic of P&O/Carnival for that, as we would have absolutely spent more money on occasion to get slightly higher priced drinks. On our upcoming Iona Cruise at the end of Oct, we are not taking the package, but instead documenting EVERYTHING we drink, and how much we spend, compared to the drinks package, which on that 14 night cruise would cost us £1118.60 for the both of us. We cannot imagine we will spend anything like that, but we shall see. Have a lovely day, and thanks for commenting and of course watching. Linzi & Mark
Hi, we have cruised with P and O on many occasions and overall it’s generally been very good, like yourselves though I decided that it was pretty clear (most certainly in our case), the drink package would be rather poor value for money and restrictive on choice. We are not heavy drinkers and whilst we enjoy a tipple or two onboard, its usually the nicer wines and cocktails, that would generally be over the stated price limitation. Perhaps P and O should reconsider and offer further alternative options in this area.
Hi Mi & Mo. We completely agree, and when we go on Iona in Nov, we are not taking the Drinks Package (unless it has a major revamp between now and then), for the same reasons, many of the nice drinks we wanted were over the limit, and the discount doesn't make it worth while, when you add the price per day on too. Plus we don't want the hassle next time of trying to figure out if it is on the package or not, or getting a double if we want one. We will just order what takes our fancy, and see how it compares price wise afterwards. Thanks for getting in touch, and have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Weve booked to go on iona next may and the only reason im thinking ilof getting the package is because the kids will get the soft drinks package free. So between the 4 of us, the ultimate package ends up equating to £20 per day each
That is an extremely good reason to get the package Donna. And not one we had considered before. When you work it our between the four of you then £20 a day really doesn't seem too bad. And the kids will drink plenty we are sure. If they just had five or six drinks in the entire day it would cover that. Linzi and Mark
Thanx for another great video, and the heads up on the P+O package! Good value for families,for sure!!, but on a port intensive cruise,with no kids, not so sure!!! We will be taking it tho' , when we go to the Canaries in Oct 23, as the costings work for us....our normal cruising consumption would hit over £40 pppd @ P+O prices, so for us, a GTY balcony cabin and a poorish drinks package for under £3k is good value.....
You are very welcome, and thank you for watching and taking time to comment. We are a very big fan, as you will have guessed, of Drinks/Beverage Packages, as like you said, when you add it all together it can represent great value for money, and allows you to have budgeted correctly before you go. We are really interested to hear back after your cruise if it worked well for you, as this was the first one for us personally we felt didn't. And given you are sailing in Oct '23, there is always a chance P&O improve it more before you go too. Again thanks for watching and the comment, Linzi & Mark
We have booked our first cruise and it’s on the Iona- actually very anxious since seeing the drinks packages and can promise we would not have booked if we had known before booking the overpriced drinks packages! I enjoy a beer or two but my wife does not- yet they charge both of us just for me to have an alcoholic drink? Only found out a few minutes after booking and looked to cancel but they wanted to charge us 50% cancellation! Wow! You never get a second chance to make a good first impression- just think of how many hundreds of people we are telling / warning at the moment which means they will NOT book with this company. Shame! Thanks for the video ✌🏻
That's horrendous Gavin. We can't believe they won't let you cancel the drinks package before have travelled. We know you can do this on other cruise lines as we've done it ourselves when a sale price came in a drinks package after we had already booked it. We rang up and cancelled it. They didn't even ask why, just said no problem, and credited our account straight back. We are assuming you've spoken to them or a manager and explained and still no joy. Such a shame to your first cruise. Don't let this put you off cruising. This is not representative of the cruise lines we've done or the service over the years. Despite all this, hopefully you'll still have an amazing cruise and maybe try a different line next time. As a final thought. If you canceled your cruise we suspect they'd have to refund you in full for the package? Might be worth asking them. If you haven't already. Linzi & Mark
The drinks package is optional, you don’t have to buy it. You can still buy drinks as you go along, like on any holiday, and as your wife doesn’t drink alcohol you’ll be much better off money wise.
Good video, looks like this so called ultimate package is a pile of crap. Been a while since I have been on P&O but got a bargain for June on Azura. Was thinking of getting the 6 bottle wine deal the captains choice as that looks ok. I did P&O for about 7 years then tried something else, it was like an awakening. Celebrity, Marella, MSC and NCL. The supplement for a 7 day cruise on NCL is £149, that will get you an excellent drinks package and 2 speciality dining which are top draw restaurants. Massive choice of beers wines spirits and excellent cocktails. No 15 max or 15 minutes between drinks, just get onboard and enjoy knowing the bill is taken care of. Even on Marella a malt whisky is included in their basic package and if you want a bit of top shelf you only pay the difference. Never had to get a calculator out once. Thanks for the heads up it looks like P&O are now the biggest robbers on the high seas since blackbeard.
Hi Bill, P&O really do need to give the package a massive overhaul now, as you said, when you compare it to others it looks really bad value for money. Have a lovely day. Linzi and Mark
Thanks for watching Stuart. It's the first time we can ever recall regretting getting a drinks package in all our years of cruising. Hopefully if enough people say something, P&O will review it, and make the changes that are needed. Linzi & Mark
So - swap 'Ultimate' with 'Junior Accountant's'? Thanks for the heads up. Still trying to figure if the soft drinks package is even worth it either! Cheers!
You are very welcome Paul. And we love the “junior accountants”. That will be what we now, at home at least, refer to that package as 😂 Seriously though, we really hope they give the packages a massive overhaul soon. Linzi & Mark
Hi David, Yes and No. There is the favourite list in each bar, but not every bar has every drink. At the time we went on we couldn't get a Pina Colada or a Negroni in the Crows Nest.
Was on brittania and spent £1250 on drinks 🍸 and that was holding back due to bill getting bigger and bigger. Got a package on Royal and didn't have to worry at end of cruise. Shame they can't match Royal as I would be back with them. Had really nice time on Brittania but we need a better package.
Alex, wowsa £1250. We are assuming this wasn't a three night cruise, although if it was, that's even more impressive. Seriously though, it is the one thing we really didn't like about P&O (other than the Beach Club Restaurant) and we hope they give it a massive overhaul soon. We love a drinks package for the simple reason, not having to worry about a huge bill at the end of the cruise. We've been on Royal many times and the drinks package has always worked well for us (even if it's getting a little bit pricy these days) but it's simple and we've never had to worry about what to order. Thanks for watching the video and for commenting too. Linzi & Mark
We got the drinks package on Iona as was only on for a week. Worked great for us 4 as we had a few drinks in the afternoon and Wine with the meal and drinks afterwards. Worked out 7 drinks per day each to break even. Yes a lot of cocktails not on there but we still had a a lot of choice. Beer choice was amazing. The grey goose vodka with coke was nice. Great video guys. Will watch some more as looking at Ventura next year.
Thanks for watching and for the comment Daz. P&O package can work out for you (as you said) depending what you like to drink. For us it didn't although a grey goose and coke does sound very tempting right now. Drinks package aside we loved Ventura, although we really would like to try Iona too. Linzi & Mark
I was on Iona d two weeks ago. I went for soft drinks package at 19.95 a day. You could only get small drinks in most bars, you’d get stung for full price of large soft drink in some bars. Having analysed what I actually drank, I’d have spent less if I drank what I wanted without the package.
P & O really do need to give there packages an overall if even the soft drinks package doesn't work! We never looked into that as part of our review as we were looking at the alcoholic one, so thank you so much for pointing this out. Thanks for watching and have a lovely day. Linzi & Mark
Thank you for the comment and for watching Liz. We’re hopeful that one day they will give the P&O drinks package the overall it needs. It is so annoying as other Carnival corp cruise lines actually have really good drinks packages. Hope you have a fantastic cruise on Iona in May. She is a ship we really want to get on soon. Linzi & Mark
Thank you for your vlog, very informative. We are thinking about a P&O cruise sometime this year. We have been given some info with the drinks package as you've described as part of the deal if we want it, as a result of this vlog I don't think we will be taking up the drinks deal, if you can then let me know the cost of a pint of beer or medium glass of wine, I am guessing that tea and coffee is included in the buffer meals, but again if not what are the costs of these. Thank you.
Hi Barry, Thanks for watching our video. We are so glad you found it useful. A pint of Beer is around £5 and a 175ml glass of wine between £5.30 and £7, although obviously you can spend much more than this if you wanted. Cocktails start at arond £6.95 upwards. Tea and coffee (non speciality) is available in the Buffet and main dining rooms at no extra charge. The coffee bar in the atrium is chargeable and around £4 a coffee/tea. Our next video (this coming Sunday) is our P&O's Ultimate Drinks Package vs Pay As You Go Review. As in our recent Ion a cruse we came off a few weeks ago we didn't take the drinks package and did a direct comparison. This was the first cruise we hadn't had a drinks package on in years and we were very surprised by the result. So we hope this helps when it comes out this Sunday at 5 pm. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thank you for getting back to me, that sounds a better deal, both myself and my wife don't drink much alcohol so I think getting a drink as we go will suit. Thank you.
As you will have gathered Henry, we LOVE a drinks package, but we honestly cannot recommend this one at all. we are hoping to go on Iona later this year and when we do we will not take the package, which we think is the first time in over a decade we wouldn't have a drinks package. It simply doesn't stack up for us, or anyone we've spoken to. Which is such a shame. If you do take it, let us know how it worked out for you. Linzi & Mark
Enjoyed your review. I totally agree with not taking the package. My brother and myself found that we were cheaper (slightly), however we preferred just ordering what we wanted to drink and not wondering if it was part of the package. Also we preferred a bottle of wine at the table of our choosing. I was hoping you maybe-able to answer a question for me. A few years ago on Britannia you could select a bottle of wine with dinner and if you did not finish it, they would store it until the next night. We were recently on Iona and they did not provide this service. We are going back on Britannia, do you know if they still store the wine?
Thanks for taking time to get in touch Elizabeth, and we are glad you agree with our review :) When we go on Iona later in the year we won’t be taking the package (unless it changes before then). On the wine question. Yes they (Ventura and we’d assume Britannia) will store if for you until the next night no problem or you can have it taken back to your cabin if you chose to. In fact we don’t think we’ve cruised on any line which didn’t offer this storage option, so given we are on Iona soon we will investigate why they didn’t provide it. Seems very odd. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
We are on Britannia on Sunday, so fingers crossed. We went on a Staycation cruise last August and Christmas cruise on Iona and both times you could not store the bottle. You could take the bottle out of the Restaurants and take to different venues. my main problem was I like white and my brother prefers red wine. Also I like my wine cold. It just meant we both had to drink white in order that it was finished.
Let us know if they do allow the storing of your wine. We’ve never come across a ship before that doesn’t. Either way, wine storage or not, have an amazing cruise. Linzi and Mark
Unfortunately any cruise line under the Carnival Banner has boosted their prices on everything. Have not gone back cruising since lockdown as the prices are now not good value anymore. Don’t like being forced to pay tips by having them included in the fare. Why can’t these companies pay their staff proper wages, we should not be forced to top up their wages. Tips are supposed to be voluntary if you get good service then you tip.
It's always a controversial thing with the gratuities. When we first started crusing it was optional with a recommend amount per day and you gave them directly to the stewards, waiter and a few others which always felt right but obviously lots of other staff didn't get anything and pay levels have always been a thing too. Some of the smaller higher end cruise lines have it right in terms of what they pay, but then again the amount they charge for cruise fare is much higher than P&O. Linzi and Mark
We booked ultimate package on our last cruise, on Iona , we are not going to do this on Arvia as wenever spent £80 a day on alcohol... more like £50 ... stick to pay as you go
Thanks Mike, and drinks packages have to work for you or they are never worth it regardless of whether they (in P&Os case) simply don't stack up and are very limited. When we go on Iona in Nov we are paying as we go. Unless they introduce a better drinks package of course. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
We rather blindly opted for it. Worked out we needed to have about 8 alcoholic drinks per day to make it it worthwhile. But the killer is that those 8 drinks are most likely not the ones.youxwill necessary want to have if you like wine or cocktails. Doubtful we will get another drinks package our next cruise which is on Arvia.
Let us know how you get on with it though. It didn't work out for us, for the reason you stated, the drinks we wanted were over the limit, and so we found ourselves having things we wouldn't have normally bought, and it would have worked out cheaper for us if we just purchased them as we go. However the saving money element is only part of the package appeal, the other for us is pre-budgeting before we cruise and then not having to worry about how much a bar tab we are running up, and instead can just get on with enjoying ourselves. Because of how this Ultimate package works at the moment, neither element of why we buy them works out. We still hold out hope they give the Ultimate Drinks Package the change it needs, so that it actually does become the Ultimate Drinks Package. Linzi & Mark
Hi Jim. Not entirely sure we understand the question? So apologies if we answer this wrong. If you both have the drinks package then as long as it's below £6.95 then yes you can get it without being charged. If you go over £6.95 then you will both be charged the full price less 20%. Most cocktails are over £6.95. Also if you order a large glass of wine or a double spirit that counts as two drinks and you will be charged as above too. There are lots of beers, ciders and basics spirits that you can get on the drinks package but unless you are drinking a lot of them then you'd struggle to break even on the cost. Again our apologies if we misunderstood, and have a lovely day. Linzi & Mark
We are on Iona in 2 weeks, I have purchased the package and my wife doesn’t drink. Using our £240 onboard spend to purchase the package makes it an absolute bargain. How many different cocktails do you need? Couple of beers, wine with dinner, drinks in the casino (yes we are on holiday) would be nearer £100 a day. I can’t wait 🥂🥃🍷🍺🍸☕️😁😁
Hi Raymond, using the onboard credit is a great way of paying for the package, and you are right, the package can work for you, depending on what you drink. We love "how many different cocktails do you need".... lots 😂 we love trying new drinks on a package we wouldn't in "real life", as you never know what is going to be a future favourite you've not yet tried. Thanks for taking time to comment Raymond, and have an amazing time on Iona in a few weeks time. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Agreed, it was absolutely rubbish. I think I had a choice of only 6 cocktails. All the ones I usually drink I had to pay full price and no pink gin at all. I have complained to P&O as compared to Princess and Celebrity this is very expensive as it doesn't even include WiFi and the selection of drinks including certain gin and tonics weren't even included. P&O need to get their act together on this and reduce the cost massively
Thank you @JMB, it was genuinely so disappointing. We hope, like you, that P&O do decide to give this a complete overhaul, as it simply does not get close to what we consider value for money, let alone compare with the others you mentioned above. Thank you for watching, and taking time to comment. Linzi & Mark
totally agree i go celebrity and with all included at moment the prices and drinks package is great.This drinks package wont make me want to try P and O .
It is a tough one, for us, obviously, it wasn't right, and on the Package Vs Pay As You Go video, you've seen, it didn't work out cheaper either, but there are others who do feel they get good value on it. For us personally it really came down to are you going to be able to get what you want to drink and where you want to drink it on the package. Linzi & Mark
We do like a drinks package but it has to work out sensibly for us, even if we are a little worse off finanically, the benefit of having front paid for it and not thinking about the spend each time you get a drink is well worth that little premium, however it was a big premium on this particular package (especially when you look at our PAYG comparison), and the new package is even more expensive.
@@SuiteNatured I feel the same way. As long as I'm not stressed out about ordering then I'm fine regardless if I break even or not. I just want to enjoy my time on the ship.
Yes, we found the same Maria. Some of our favourites from our Ventura cruise, where we had the package, and were included, we then priced out of the package several months later on our Iona cruise. Fortunately we hadn't taken the package on the second cruise, so had whatever we fancied, including those wines. Linzi & Mark
Hi Sophie, yes Ventura is a lovely ship and the cruise/ports amazing, and apart from the drinks package and The Beach Club (upcharge restaurant) it is really good. Not to push our content or anything, but our full review of Ventura is here, and there is a P&O Ventura play list on our channel too ruclips.net/video/paSfE60BVRk/видео.html Thanks so much for watching, and commenting. Linzi & Mark
Soft drinks such as Juices and flavoured waters as well as non speciality teas and coffees are available in the Buffet and still water in the restaurants but everywhere else they charge. The only place we noticed water bottle refill areas was in the Gyms but we are sure that bars would fill them for you. We are on Iona in Nov so will.make sure to check. Have a lovely Day Sam and thanks for watching. Linzi and Mark
Hi, unfortunately it is still the same :( And no you pay the full price of the more expensive drinks less 20% discount. So if it costs £7 (just 5p over the limit) you pay £5.60. It's so annoying. We'd happily pay the difference between allowance and cost. Sorry to be the beers of bad news. Linzi and Mark
We were in the Britannia last year and we t ook out the drinks package. Never again.. they serve you the cheapest beer, brandy,rum etc it's better to pay as you drink and choose what's on offer rather than having to accept the poor quality drinks the serve you
Oh that’s terrible when they do that. We specially (where we could) asked for our preferred spirit (if it was in the limits) to avoid that. Pay as you go worked out far better for us, having exactly what we wanted, when we wanted. Linzi and Mark
Hi Karen, unfortunately the WiFi on P&O is the opposite of free. It’s actually one of the more expensive packages at sea compared to say Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity or Virgin. They have three main packages connect, browse and works, which are £7.75, £12.50 and £24.95 per day but if you book it in advance via the app you get 20% off. But still expensive. There is a good chance however the Packages will change (hopefully for the better) before you sail in 2024 though. Hope this helps. Linzi & Mark
Wifi on Iona is said to be very slow. Best tip is to use free wifi in ports. You will often see crew members in the terminal building because they have to pay to use it on ships.
All the Carnival companies (P & O included) drinks packages are atrocious and a rip off, given the limitations. Spot on review and I’ll stick to MSC thanks - it may be derided by some but the Yacht Club is just fantastic and craps all over anything the Carnival group has to offer.
We are due to go on the MSC World Europa in Yacht Club early next year Andrew, so will be really interesting to compare and contrast. Thanks for taking time to watch our review and for taking further time to comment as well. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
Such a great question Mark, especially given we are on our second P&O cruise right now, 14 nights on Iona. And today is exactly a week since we got on. And this time we didn't take the package so we can give you a direct comparison. We've not held back either because we didn't have the package as you might have seen if you follow our Instagram stories 😂 So in the first 7 nights we have spent £460 on drinks, this includes all alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks as well as a few coffees (probably the only thing we've had less of not having the package) This works out at £230 each or £32.85 a day compared to £39.99 a day on the package. So far. We are going to do a direct comparison video in the near future after the full cruise but hope this helps in the meantime. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thank you so much for taking time out of your trip to reply. That's very interesting your bar bill has been less than the package price. I look forward to your next video. I just found your videos this week and they are an interesting watch. We are just planning our very first cruise now. Thanks again. Mark
I tried drinking 15 alcoholic drinks per day and I don't remember doing it. When I woke up I was in hospital with a nasty taste in my mouth and the mother of all headaches. My advice ? Stick to tap water, it's free.
crikey o really....... I love drinks packages, like your good selves, as you can go away, knowing what you've spent and no surprises, as well as being care free, and not having to think about anything....the opposite of what P&O seem to be offering. :-(. in a dilemma
It is a tough one Terry, we did think long and hard if we felt we could recommend the drinks package at all (even with caveats) , because as you know, for all the same reasons you put above, we love a drinks package. This one we simply felt didn't work and was just not customer or pocket friendly at all and there was no way we could recommend it, which was so disappointing. We do know that when we go on our next P&O cruise, unless it changes, we absolutely wouldn't be buying it. Let us know what you decide when you go on, and if you do get it, how did it work out. Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured OMG...how right you were ! The "ultimate" drinks package was the worst we have ever experienced. We did I think break more or less even - however, only because we forced ourselves to drink what we didnt always particularly fancy, but because that the only thing we could have! And with costa even - you can only have a single shot of coffee in your cappuccino etc...you could have a free slice of cake with it - but oh no, not an extra shot lol. Absolutely will not buy the package again, and no doubt will save a small fortune by not doing so. I did find one cocktail I liked that I was " allowed" to have with the package - Pink Fizz I think it was called. pink gin, Prosecco and lemonade. the drinks package was the biggest ely down of the whole cruise for us - but, you live and learn, right :-) x
I have done 2 P&O Cruises this year (IONA and Britannia), I agree it's definately NOT worth it! £80 per couple is a lot of money (must both have it!), especially when drinks prices are quite reasonably priced! Pints are £4.70 - £5.50, a double gin is £6.95, they also have cocktails starting at around £6.95. Prices in most major UK cities are higher! Also they allow you to take on 1 litre of spirits each, which saves you money too. I did buy a wine package for £245, which got me 12 bottles of wine from a selected list. However next time I would just get the 6 bottle deal, as some nights I wasn't in the mood for wine, but had to have one, as I pre-paid.
Hi Darren, thanks for you comment. Having just come off Iona last weekend, and we didn't take the drinks package (compared to Ventura), it was very interesting to see the end results. In fact we have a video coming up in a couple of weeks, P&O Drinks Package vs Pay As You Go, we suspect you will agree with our findings :) We took a litre of spirit and a bottle of wine this time too, and it was great to have that in the cabin for pre-dinner drinks. We looked at the wine package and nearly went for it too, but as we were doing out little comparison experiment, we decide against it this time. Thanks again for the comment and for watching our video of course. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Thanks for Commenting David. Don't let the drinks package put you off an otherwise fantastic ship, just don't get the package if you feel it's not right for you. We will absolutely be going on P&O Cruises again in the future, we'd just pass on the package, unless it get a refresh to make it better value for us personally. Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured We have decided on Princess - the drinks package is way better. For less than p and o you also get unlimited wi fi and the tips so it is much better value. We have been on 5 other cruises with p and o and quite like them but their pricing structure in general now feels like a bit of a rip off - particularly given that the package only includes drinks up to 6.95 when nearly all the drinks are more than that. They have become more like Royal Caribbean with the constant sell sell sell.
@@davidpowell3691 We think Princess (Plus in particular) is the best value in cruising right now. Incredible, Premium Drinks, WiFi & Gratuities, for far less than most other cruise lines charge for teh drinks alone. And more importantly the drinks package works. We don't disagree at all with your comments on the drink package on P&O as it is what we said ourselves, it really does need a complete redo. Which Princess ship have you booked? Whichever it is you'll love it we are sure. We are just looking at Enchanted and Sky ourselves at the moment. Linzi & Mark
Ad give P&O a swerve after watching this. £40 a day and be restricted. No thanks. The way they treated their staff is still fresh in my mind. Boycott P&O. How can they call it Unlimited if everything is restricted.
We've just joined our 2nd P&O cruise today (Iona) and we can confirm we've not taken the drinks package. We are just paying as we go. First time we've not had a drinks package on a cruise in a long time so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up. If we had bought this package on this 14 night cruise it would have been nearly £1200 for the two of us, and it simply is not good enough value for that when so many of our drinks are not included. Thanks for watching and taking time to comment. Linzi and Mark
It is such a shame that they haven't reimagined this package yet. Hopefully they will sooner or later as we are like you, there is no way we would purchase on another P&O cruise in its current format. Linzi & Mark
Sounds dreadful value. Why should people be treated like that when they're on holiday? Sounds like they don't want people to enjoy themselves, while anyone on the package is feeling pressured to hit their daily "target". I've been on genuine AI cruises where they have top-ups for premium drinks, and the atmosphere is transformed- very few drink to excess.
It really does need an overhaul Paul. We completely agree on the drinking to excess excuse. We've been on plenty of cruises where there wasn't the same restrictions in place, and you VERY rarely see people drinking to excess, just enjoying themselves, which surely is the point of the holiday. And how is ordered a bottle of water, and a wine at the same time excessive, especially at meal time, the gap between drinks in that sense is pointless. We really have no issue at all paying the difference between an package allowance, and the premium drink, but to charge you the full amount less 20% (when you've already paid the package value) is nickel and diming you, and they are quite simply charging you for most of the premium drink twice, if you take off the £6.95 allowance. On a £10 drink, you'd get a 20% discount taking it to £8 (So £2 off), but you've already paid £6.95 as part of the package, means £4.95 you are paying twice. It is just not a good package at all, and we really do hope they change it soon, but we have low expectations they will, as a high majority of guests still take it, so until this drops we doubt they will, but we remain hopeful. Have a lovely day Paul, Linzi & Mark
Ridiculous rules another reason not to cruise with P &O again.After 68 cruises 39 with P&O now not my cruise line of choice.Far too complicated and nonsensical rules
It is so frustrating Alan as a lot of stuff they do well on P&O (except the WiFi packages too) so hopefully they will look at the packages again soon. Linzi & Mark
Sorry we weren’t your cup of tea Norman. We have got a bit better since this video (and still in our first year), but us talking like that is how we are in real life too! It’s not scripted or audibly edited, it is just to the two of us discussing our thoughts and experiences and whilst we try not to talk over each other, occasionally something springs to mind and we do. Thanks for taking time to try our little channel even if it wasn’t your thing. Linzi and Mark
Sorry we weren’t your thing. Our style Is live, unscripted commentary of the two of us chatting. We have got better since this earlier video but given we’ve been together over 35 years, the interruptions are never likely to vanish completely. Thanks for checking out of content though. Linzi and Mark
The vlog is 2 yrs old, I live in the US, I'll likely never be on a P&O ship in my life and I doubt I would need a drinks package...but it's cold and rainy here and I have a cold and a fever and I just wanted some Linz to hang out with and try to feel better. So I got a nice cup of Yorkshire Gold and a warm snug blankie and away we went!! Thanks very much you two! ❤
What a lovely comment Casey. This brought a massive smile to our faces this morning.
Hope you are feeling a lot better and that the cold and fever is on its way out and that cuppa Yorkshire Gold helped too.
Linzi and Mark
What a great, informative video! £40 each on a limited selection of drink is absolutely ridiculous! I'd rather go back to my cabin and have a cuppa.
Thanks for the comment Andrew. We really do hope they overhaul the drinks package on P&O sooner rather than later. It really was the thing that let the line down well that and Beach Club Restaurant ;) and thank you for watching our video. Linzi & Mark
Limited selection? Beer, wine, cocktails, spirits, spirits with mixers, fruit juice, unlimited soft drinks! How is that limited? 🤔🤔🍾🍸🥂🥃🍷☕️🍸
Ultimate Drinks Package should include pretty much everything on the menu except the expensive wines/champagnes etc. We was on Ventura last year and to be fair some of the staff didn't over charge us for the additional cocktails and said not to worry etc. We have just come off of Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas and the hangovers were proof the package was better haha!
Ha ha ha, that should absolutely be the proof if the package is good value Rob.
We do completely agree, if you are calling something "Ultimate", then that is what it should be, whereas at the moment it feels more like "Absolute Minimum". Sure it doesn't have to included high end fizz or spirits, but you should be able to get any menu listed cocktail or "normal" spirit and mixer, and really doubles too. As for things like water, then really why only let you have 500ml cans, when you are having a meal, just let people have a full bottle of San Pellegrino (or similar).
When we last went on Royal a few years ago, whilst the packages can be pricey, there was never anything we asked for that wasn't on the package, and it just becomes a much better, more relaxing experience.
Thanks for taking time to watch our video, and to get in touch on the comment too. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Love the style and relaxed way on how you present your videos - very refreshing from the 'norm' I tend to see. Agree with your outcome and think the DP is over priced. We all want value for money and I could not drink that much to cover the cost of the package - and me and the wife like a drink. We have had DPs on other cruise lines but only when they have been on offer as part of the whole cruise price which makes it good VFM and as you pointed out it is nice to have a drink when you want to and not worry about the bill at the end. Just need to watch you other VLOGS now.
Thank you Keith for such a lovely comment. You are spot on with the other cruise line comparisons for the drinks packages. When they are part of an all inclusive deal you might pay a bit more (but far less than a seperate DP) but the value for money seems much more. It is lovely to have you part of the channel community and if you have any questions yod be most welcome on the Monthly live stream and our Suite Natured Facebook Group.
Linzi and Mark.
Spot on information, totally agree with your review.
Thank you Neil. Linzi & Mark
Excellent review.. Totally agree, who wants to have to worry about what your ordering. Takes so much away from the Vacation.. Your counting pennies at home just to get on the cruise (hoping to be worry free) and then you have to count pennies while on the cruise.. dang that sucks..
Thank you Misbehaven, you summarised our thoughts in the review perfectly with "Dang that Sucks" 😂
Hilton Hotels are like that now with their food and beverage credits. You have to constantly figure out the amounts including tax to figure what you will owe when you check out. I stopped going to that brand in the USA which is only where they started those credits.
Very good video and well explained. You're so right about relaxing on a holiday and not wanting to spend ages trying to work out if your drink is included in the package. Yes calling it an ultimate package is a bit of a joke. I'm on the Azura in 3 weeks and I think you know wether I'll be buying the package!
Thank you Martin. We are glad you enjoyed it. Weare guessing you might be going without the Ultimate Package on your upcoming Azura cruise. Have a lovely day, and a Merry Christmas. Linzi and Mark
I was impressed by the selection of beers and cider, however, I did find it madness when a large wine under £6.95 wasn't included because it was classed as a double. It's much better value when you get the kids for free as we did. I found it OK for a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. We ordered a few mocktails and Costas on the adult's package during the day for the kids which made it worthwhile. We definitely saved on sea days but probably didn't when off the ship for a full day. Net, net, I'm sure we broke even or slightly better without having to worry about spend.
It really does seem to work out better value for anyone with children with them as, if there are four of you it's less than £20 per person per day which is not bad at all.
The thing we love most about drinks packages is the same as you, not having to worry about what you've spent. It is so liberating.
Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured love your videos, thank you
Great review! On Ventura last week, I opted to avoid the drinks package. After a week of drinking (and not restricting myself), I saved about £90 vs taking the package, so wouldn't opt for the package unless it was discounted!
Thank you for watching and your comment. Well done on doing the maths better than we did 😂
But seriously £90 is not an insignificant amount. And you still had what you wanted when you wanted it. And that’s the important part. If the package doesn’t offer you the right value then just do exactly what you did. We will do that next time we are on P&O cruise for sure unless the package has changed fairly significantly. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured I completely agree. That said, I didn’t have the usual ‘blow outs’ that I would have if it were ‘free’, but my health will thank me for that…! Haha
Thanks for your honest review we were on Iona and bought the drinks package, a lot of drinks were not available, were going on the azura in June but we won't be buying the package. I think the only thing we might miss is the costa coffee in the morning, no we won't we will just buy it . Thank you.
We said exactly the same Lenny in response to the Coffee, it is a great spot, and we'd simply buy it as needed. We really hope the drinks package improves sooner rather than later. Linzi & Mark
I've just got back from a cruise on the Ventura, and completely agree with your review. Bar prices onboard were similar to a pub back home, and I doubt if we ever went anywhere near the £40 daily cost of the drinks package. The petty restrictions were also frustrating. We caught covid and had to spend the last day of the cruise in a quarantine cabin and rely on the very slow room service. When we ordered our evening meal, I asked for two bottles of beer for the night, but they said that because we had the "ultimate" drinks package, we could only have one per order!
On no, a quarantine cabin and they were still making you order one beer at a time. That is such poor service. Sure stick to the rules when people are around the ship but in those circumstances a bit of discretion makes much more sense. We hope you are feeling much better now. Thanks so much for watching our content and taking time to tell us about your experience on Ventura . Take care, Linzi and Mark
This is great 👍 thanks
Thank you Martin.
I'm so glad I saw this, was about to book but would want more than the handful of cocktails on offer
Thanks for watching. And we replied to your other questionbelow. Have a lovely day. Linzi and Mark
Totally agree. We read it through and checked the menus - it’s just not worth it. P&O have kept the cut off at £6.95 but then put the prices up... most cocktails used to be £6.95, now hardly any of them are. It’s a rip off.
Hi Lorna, interesting to hear that the cocktails used to much cheaper previously. That would explain why it seems such bad value if they increased those prices but kept the drinks package cap as it was. It seems such an easy fix for P&O, we really hope they update it soon. Thanks for watching. Linzi & Mark
I'm going on Brittania next week, you've answered my question.. cheers for the video!
You are welcome, and we are so glad we could help. Have a fantastic cruise on Britannia next week. Linzi & Mark
P&O crossed off my holiday list. 👍🍻
Hi Steve, you will see in our upcoming Iona Full Cruise Review, there were things about it we loved and things we didn't. Obviously their drinks package is something we really don't rate highly though.
Linzi and Mark
Just back from 2 weeks on Azura. Didnt realise you could book the drinks package weekly so opted for drinks package for the 2and week. Saved us an absolute fortune.
2 coffes a couple of waters or soft drinks already add up to a tenner each. Cocktails we thought were not as strong as others we had tasted , so if we hadn't of purchased the drinks package I wouldnt of bothered drinking cocktails. Well worth the money for us.
Hi Christopher. We didn’t know you could book for just one week at a time on a longer cruise. And we are on a two week Iona cruise in Nov. Very interesting.
On the other part of your comment. Drinks packages really are down to individuals as to whether they work or not. We predominantly, on cruises at least, drink cocktails, and the value just wasn’t there at all for us, as you will have seen, but if it worked for you that’s awesome. The coffees and soft drinks though were great. Thanks for watching and taking time to comment. Have a lovely weekend. Linzi and Mark
Hi I think the reason we could do drinks package for 1 of the 2 weeks was because there was one or 2 weeks cruise available . If only a 2 week cruise is available you need to take the package for 2 weeks
P and o should though do a full list of the cocktails though.
There are quite a few more cocktails that are £6.95 but not listed
That would be really useful if they did. Linzi and Mark
Do you get any drinks included with meals?
Also if you for instance like a certain wine for the £6.95 . There is no guarantee that bottle will be available in the next venue. Something to watch out for, I sailed twice on Iona last year and a merlot for example can range from £6.95 to £12.95 a glass. Just stepped off Sky Princess on a plus package and much more transparent. I have only paid as I go on P&O but if you like the same standard spirit / cocktail or beer........coupled with having kids. It may still offer some value.
Very good point Graham. We had several great glasses of wine in The Glass House, that were in the package, but similar ones in other bars/restaurants were outside of the package.
Princess Plus/Premier (if you've seen the review) are much more transparent, and if you want to spend a bit more, you just pay the difference in the package allowance to the higher priced drink. Rather than just a 20% discount off the price. We've never been able to figure the logic of P&O/Carnival for that, as we would have absolutely spent more money on occasion to get slightly higher priced drinks.
On our upcoming Iona Cruise at the end of Oct, we are not taking the package, but instead documenting EVERYTHING we drink, and how much we spend, compared to the drinks package, which on that 14 night cruise would cost us £1118.60 for the both of us. We cannot imagine we will spend anything like that, but we shall see.
Have a lovely day, and thanks for commenting and of course watching. Linzi & Mark
cheers from brazil , what a great channel! keep it up guys!
Thank you for a lovely comment, a really nice way to wake up and start the day, and we will do our best to keep it up :) Linzi & Mark
Hi, we have cruised with P and O on many occasions and overall it’s generally been very good, like yourselves though I decided that it was pretty clear (most certainly in our case), the drink package would be rather poor value for money and restrictive on choice. We are not heavy drinkers and whilst we enjoy a tipple or two onboard, its usually the nicer wines and cocktails, that would generally be over the stated price limitation. Perhaps P and O should reconsider and offer further alternative options in this area.
Hi Mi & Mo. We completely agree, and when we go on Iona in Nov, we are not taking the Drinks Package (unless it has a major revamp between now and then), for the same reasons, many of the nice drinks we wanted were over the limit, and the discount doesn't make it worth while, when you add the price per day on too. Plus we don't want the hassle next time of trying to figure out if it is on the package or not, or getting a double if we want one. We will just order what takes our fancy, and see how it compares price wise afterwards.
Thanks for getting in touch, and have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Weve booked to go on iona next may and the only reason im thinking ilof getting the package is because the kids will get the soft drinks package free.
So between the 4 of us, the ultimate package ends up equating to £20 per day each
That is an extremely good reason to get the package Donna. And not one we had considered before. When you work it our between the four of you then £20 a day really doesn't seem too bad. And the kids will drink plenty we are sure. If they just had five or six drinks in the entire day it would cover that.
Linzi and Mark
Thanx for another great video, and the heads up on the P+O package!
Good value for families,for sure!!, but on a port intensive cruise,with no kids, not so sure!!!
We will be taking it tho' , when we go to the Canaries in Oct 23, as the costings work for us....our normal cruising consumption would hit over £40 pppd @ P+O prices, so for us, a GTY balcony cabin and a poorish drinks package for under £3k is good value.....
You are very welcome, and thank you for watching and taking time to comment.
We are a very big fan, as you will have guessed, of Drinks/Beverage Packages, as like you said, when you add it all together it can represent great value for money, and allows you to have budgeted correctly before you go. We are really interested to hear back after your cruise if it worked well for you, as this was the first one for us personally we felt didn't. And given you are sailing in Oct '23, there is always a chance P&O improve it more before you go too.
Again thanks for watching and the comment, Linzi & Mark
We have booked our first cruise and it’s on the Iona- actually very anxious since seeing the drinks packages and can promise we would not have booked if we had known before booking the overpriced drinks packages! I enjoy a beer or two but my wife does not- yet they charge both of us just for me to have an alcoholic drink? Only found out a few minutes after booking and looked to cancel but they wanted to charge us 50% cancellation! Wow! You never get a second chance to make a good first impression- just think of how many hundreds of people we are telling / warning at the moment which means they will NOT book with this company. Shame! Thanks for the video ✌🏻
That's horrendous Gavin. We can't believe they won't let you cancel the drinks package before have travelled. We know you can do this on other cruise lines as we've done it ourselves when a sale price came in a drinks package after we had already booked it. We rang up and cancelled it. They didn't even ask why, just said no problem, and credited our account straight back. We are assuming you've spoken to them or a manager and explained and still no joy. Such a shame to your first cruise. Don't let this put you off cruising. This is not representative of the cruise lines we've done or the service over the years. Despite all this, hopefully you'll still have an amazing cruise and maybe try a different line next time. As a final thought. If you canceled your cruise we suspect they'd have to refund you in full for the package? Might be worth asking them. If you haven't already. Linzi & Mark
The drinks package is optional, you don’t have to buy it. You can still buy drinks as you go along, like on any holiday, and as your wife doesn’t drink alcohol you’ll be much better off money wise.
@@Esteban929 got home a couple of weeks ago- went for the child’s drinks package and had a few beers on the side
Good video, looks like this so called ultimate package is a pile of crap. Been a while since I have been on P&O but got a bargain for June on Azura. Was thinking of getting the 6 bottle wine deal the captains choice as that looks ok. I did P&O for about 7 years then tried something else, it was like an awakening. Celebrity, Marella, MSC and NCL. The supplement for a 7 day cruise on NCL is £149, that will get you an excellent drinks package and 2 speciality dining which are top draw restaurants. Massive choice of beers wines spirits and excellent cocktails. No 15 max or 15 minutes between drinks, just get onboard and enjoy knowing the bill is taken care of. Even on Marella a malt whisky is included in their basic package and if you want a bit of top shelf you only pay the difference. Never had to get a calculator out once. Thanks for the heads up it looks like P&O are now the biggest robbers on the high seas since blackbeard.
Hi Bill,
P&O really do need to give the package a massive overhaul now, as you said, when you compare it to others it looks really bad value for money.
Have a lovely day. Linzi and Mark
Totally agree did Iona in August thought as it was a seacation we would try the drinks package.would not do again
Thanks for watching Stuart. It's the first time we can ever recall regretting getting a drinks package in all our years of cruising. Hopefully if enough people say something, P&O will review it, and make the changes that are needed. Linzi & Mark
So - swap 'Ultimate' with 'Junior Accountant's'? Thanks for the heads up. Still trying to figure if the soft drinks package is even worth it either! Cheers!
You are very welcome Paul. And we love the “junior accountants”. That will be what we now, at home at least, refer to that package as 😂
Seriously though, we really hope they give the packages a massive overhaul soon. Linzi & Mark
Hi. Just a quick question. Can you get the "favourite" cocktails in all bars. For example can I get a Pina Colada in the crows nest?
Hi David, Yes and No. There is the favourite list in each bar, but not every bar has every drink. At the time we went on we couldn't get a Pina Colada or a Negroni in the Crows Nest.
Was on brittania and spent £1250 on drinks 🍸 and that was holding back due to bill getting bigger and bigger. Got a package on Royal and didn't have to worry at end of cruise.
Shame they can't match Royal as I would be back with them. Had really nice time on Brittania but we need a better package.
Alex, wowsa £1250. We are assuming this wasn't a three night cruise, although if it was, that's even more impressive.
Seriously though, it is the one thing we really didn't like about P&O (other than the Beach Club Restaurant) and we hope they give it a massive overhaul soon.
We love a drinks package for the simple reason, not having to worry about a huge bill at the end of the cruise.
We've been on Royal many times and the drinks package has always worked well for us (even if it's getting a little bit pricy these days) but it's simple and we've never had to worry about what to order.
Thanks for watching the video and for commenting too. Linzi & Mark
Was a 16 night cruise around the Caribbean and was really good cruise. Enjoyed your video keep them up and the might take notice.
Thanks Alex. And we will do.
We got the drinks package on Iona as was only on for a week. Worked great for us 4 as we had a few drinks in the afternoon and Wine with the meal and drinks afterwards. Worked out 7 drinks per day each to break even. Yes a lot of cocktails not on there but we still had a a lot of choice. Beer choice was amazing. The grey goose vodka with coke was nice. Great video guys. Will watch some more as looking at Ventura next year.
Thanks for watching and for the comment Daz. P&O package can work out for you (as you said) depending what you like to drink. For us it didn't although a grey goose and coke does sound very tempting right now. Drinks package aside we loved Ventura, although we really would like to try Iona too. Linzi & Mark
I was on Iona d two weeks ago. I went for soft drinks package at 19.95 a day. You could only get small drinks in most bars, you’d get stung for full price of large soft drink in some bars. Having analysed what I actually drank, I’d have spent less if I drank what I wanted without the package.
P & O really do need to give there packages an overall if even the soft drinks package doesn't work! We never looked into that as part of our review as we were looking at the alcoholic one, so thank you so much for pointing this out.
Thanks for watching and have a lovely day. Linzi & Mark
Very helpful am going on iona in May,both me and hubby like a drink,but definitely not going with drinks package!
Thank you for the comment and for watching Liz. We’re hopeful that one day they will give the P&O drinks package the overall it needs. It is so annoying as other Carnival corp cruise lines actually have really good drinks packages. Hope you have a fantastic cruise on Iona in May. She is a ship we really want to get on soon. Linzi & Mark
Thank you for your vlog, very informative. We are thinking about a P&O cruise sometime this year. We have been given some info with the drinks package as you've described as part of the deal if we want it, as a result of this vlog I don't think we will be taking up the drinks deal, if you can then let me know the cost of a pint of beer or medium glass of wine, I am guessing that tea and coffee is included in the buffer meals, but again if not what are the costs of these. Thank you.
Hi Barry,
Thanks for watching our video. We are so glad you found it useful.
A pint of Beer is around £5 and a 175ml glass of wine between £5.30 and £7, although obviously you can spend much more than this if you wanted. Cocktails start at arond £6.95 upwards.
Tea and coffee (non speciality) is available in the Buffet and main dining rooms at no extra charge. The coffee bar in the atrium is chargeable and around £4 a coffee/tea.
Our next video (this coming Sunday) is our P&O's Ultimate Drinks Package vs Pay As You Go Review. As in our recent Ion a cruse we came off a few weeks ago we didn't take the drinks package and did a direct comparison. This was the first cruise we hadn't had a drinks package on in years and we were very surprised by the result. So we hope this helps when it comes out this Sunday at 5 pm.
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thank you for getting back to me, that sounds a better deal, both myself and my wife don't drink much alcohol so I think getting a drink as we go will suit.
Thank you.
Just been on brittania decided against it.good job getting someone to serve you was a daily hunt the waiter😩
Oh no Ray. Is the service still that bad? Linzi and Mark
About to go on iona not sure if I'll get the package now!
As you will have gathered Henry, we LOVE a drinks package, but we honestly cannot recommend this one at all. we are hoping to go on Iona later this year and when we do we will not take the package, which we think is the first time in over a decade we wouldn't have a drinks package. It simply doesn't stack up for us, or anyone we've spoken to. Which is such a shame.
If you do take it, let us know how it worked out for you. Linzi & Mark
Great info thanks
Thanks for the comment, and of course for watching Pam. Linzi & Mark
Enjoyed your review. I totally agree with not taking the package. My brother and myself found that we were cheaper (slightly), however we preferred just ordering what we wanted to drink and not wondering if it was part of the package. Also we preferred a bottle of wine at the table of our choosing.
I was hoping you maybe-able to answer a question for me. A few years ago on Britannia you could select a bottle of wine with dinner and if you did not finish it, they would store it until the next night. We were recently on Iona and they did not provide this service. We are going back on Britannia, do you know if they still store the wine?
Thanks for taking time to get in touch Elizabeth, and we are glad you agree with our review :)
When we go on Iona later in the year we won’t be taking the package (unless it changes before then).
On the wine question. Yes they (Ventura and we’d assume Britannia) will store if for you until the next night no problem or you can have it taken back to your cabin if you chose to. In fact we don’t think we’ve cruised on any line which didn’t offer this storage option, so given we are on Iona soon we will investigate why they didn’t provide it. Seems very odd. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
We are on Britannia on Sunday, so fingers crossed. We went on a Staycation cruise last August and Christmas cruise on Iona and both times you could not store the bottle. You could take the bottle out of the Restaurants and take to different venues. my main problem was I like white and my brother prefers red wine. Also I like my wine cold. It just meant we both had to drink white in order that it was finished.
Let us know if they do allow the storing of your wine. We’ve never come across a ship before that doesn’t. Either way, wine storage or not, have an amazing cruise. Linzi and Mark
Unfortunately any cruise line under the Carnival Banner has boosted their prices on everything. Have not gone back cruising since lockdown as the prices are now not good value anymore. Don’t like being forced to pay tips by having them included in the fare. Why can’t these companies pay their staff proper wages, we should not be forced to top up their wages. Tips are supposed to be voluntary if you get good service then you tip.
It's always a controversial thing with the gratuities. When we first started crusing it was optional with a recommend amount per day and you gave them directly to the stewards, waiter and a few others which always felt right but obviously lots of other staff didn't get anything and pay levels have always been a thing too. Some of the smaller higher end cruise lines have it right in terms of what they pay, but then again the amount they charge for cruise fare is much higher than P&O.
Linzi and Mark
We booked ultimate package on our last cruise, on Iona , we are not going to do this on Arvia as wenever spent £80 a day on alcohol... more like £50 ... stick to pay as you go
Thanks Mike, and drinks packages have to work for you or they are never worth it regardless of whether they (in P&Os case) simply don't stack up and are very limited. When we go on Iona in Nov we are paying as we go. Unless they introduce a better drinks package of course. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
Very helpful.
Thank you Mike. And of course, thank you for watching. Linzi & Mark
We rather blindly opted for it. Worked out we needed to have about 8 alcoholic drinks per day to make it it worthwhile. But the killer is that those 8 drinks are most likely not the ones.youxwill necessary want to have if you like wine or cocktails. Doubtful we will get another drinks package our next cruise which is on Arvia.
Let us know how you get on with it though. It didn't work out for us, for the reason you stated, the drinks we wanted were over the limit, and so we found ourselves having things we wouldn't have normally bought, and it would have worked out cheaper for us if we just purchased them as we go. However the saving money element is only part of the package appeal, the other for us is pre-budgeting before we cruise and then not having to worry about how much a bar tab we are running up, and instead can just get on with enjoying ourselves. Because of how this Ultimate package works at the moment, neither element of why we buy them works out. We still hold out hope they give the Ultimate Drinks Package the change it needs, so that it actually does become the Ultimate Drinks Package. Linzi & Mark
Anyone know is there anything stopping you taking a bottle spirits with you.we are going from Uk next few months, cheers.
Hi, on P&O out of the UK you can take one litre of spirits per adult in each cabin or a bottle or wine/fizz.
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thanks for the info an fast reply. Cheers
Just seen your video. Surely I can buy a drink for my wife and I without being charged?
Hi Jim. Not entirely sure we understand the question? So apologies if we answer this wrong.
If you both have the drinks package then as long as it's below £6.95 then yes you can get it without being charged. If you go over £6.95 then you will both be charged the full price less 20%. Most cocktails are over £6.95. Also if you order a large glass of wine or a double spirit that counts as two drinks and you will be charged as above too.
There are lots of beers, ciders and basics spirits that you can get on the drinks package but unless you are drinking a lot of them then you'd struggle to break even on the cost.
Again our apologies if we misunderstood, and have a lovely day. Linzi & Mark
We are on Iona in 2 weeks, I have purchased the package and my wife doesn’t drink. Using our £240 onboard spend to purchase the package makes it an absolute bargain. How many different cocktails do you need? Couple of beers, wine with dinner, drinks in the casino (yes we are on holiday) would be nearer £100 a day. I can’t wait 🥂🥃🍷🍺🍸☕️😁😁
Hi Raymond, using the onboard credit is a great way of paying for the package, and you are right, the package can work for you, depending on what you drink. We love "how many different cocktails do you need".... lots 😂 we love trying new drinks on a package we wouldn't in "real life", as you never know what is going to be a future favourite you've not yet tried. Thanks for taking time to comment Raymond, and have an amazing time on Iona in a few weeks time. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Agreed, it was absolutely rubbish. I think I had a choice of only 6 cocktails. All the ones I usually drink I had to pay full price and no pink gin at all. I have complained to P&O as compared to Princess and Celebrity this is very expensive as it doesn't even include WiFi and the selection of drinks including certain gin and tonics weren't even included. P&O need to get their act together on this and reduce the cost massively
Thank you @JMB, it was genuinely so disappointing. We hope, like you, that P&O do decide to give this a complete overhaul, as it simply does not get close to what we consider value for money, let alone compare with the others you mentioned above. Thank you for watching, and taking time to comment. Linzi & Mark
totally agree i go celebrity and with all included at moment the prices and drinks package is great.This drinks package wont make me want to try P and O .
Don't know what to do now food for thought
It is a tough one, for us, obviously, it wasn't right, and on the Package Vs Pay As You Go video, you've seen, it didn't work out cheaper either, but there are others who do feel they get good value on it. For us personally it really came down to are you going to be able to get what you want to drink and where you want to drink it on the package. Linzi & Mark
I only get drink packages when they end up almost free and included. Otherwise I just drink and pay as I go.
We do like a drinks package but it has to work out sensibly for us, even if we are a little worse off finanically, the benefit of having front paid for it and not thinking about the spend each time you get a drink is well worth that little premium, however it was a big premium on this particular package (especially when you look at our PAYG comparison), and the new package is even more expensive.
@@SuiteNatured I feel the same way. As long as I'm not stressed out about ordering then I'm fine regardless if I break even or not. I just want to enjoy my time on the ship.
Very difficult to find wines at under 6.95
Yes, we found the same Maria. Some of our favourites from our Ventura cruise, where we had the package, and were included, we then priced out of the package several months later on our Iona cruise. Fortunately we hadn't taken the package on the second cruise, so had whatever we fancied, including those wines.
Linzi & Mark
Apart from.the drinks package was the cruise and ship good
Hi Sophie, yes Ventura is a lovely ship and the cruise/ports amazing, and apart from the drinks package and The Beach Club (upcharge restaurant) it is really good. Not to push our content or anything, but our full review of Ventura is here, and there is a P&O Ventura play list on our channel too ruclips.net/video/paSfE60BVRk/видео.html
Thanks so much for watching, and commenting. Linzi & Mark
Do you get any drinks free with meals at all or do you buy all drinks inc water? Do they allow/ have places to fill up a reusable water bottle ?
Soft drinks such as Juices and flavoured waters as well as non speciality teas and coffees are available in the Buffet and still water in the restaurants but everywhere else they charge. The only place we noticed water bottle refill areas was in the Gyms but we are sure that bars would fill them for you. We are on Iona in Nov so will.make sure to check. Have a lovely Day Sam and thanks for watching. Linzi and Mark
Hi does anyone know if this is the same still? Also do you just pay the price diff to a higher priced drink?
Hi, unfortunately it is still the same :(
And no you pay the full price of the more expensive drinks less 20% discount. So if it costs £7 (just 5p over the limit) you pay £5.60. It's so annoying. We'd happily pay the difference between allowance and cost. Sorry to be the beers of bad news. Linzi and Mark
We were in the Britannia last year and we t ook out the drinks package. Never again.. they serve you the cheapest beer, brandy,rum etc it's better to pay as you drink and choose what's on offer rather than having to accept the poor quality drinks the serve you
Oh that’s terrible when they do that. We specially (where we could) asked for our preferred spirit (if it was in the limits) to avoid that.
Pay as you go worked out far better for us, having exactly what we wanted, when we wanted.
Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured we should have done what you did. Much better. 👍
its children "seventeen and under " get the free package, and not under 17 as you state early in the video ..?
Thanks Brian. Our bad 🙁
Linzi and Mark
Hi , is there WiFi free on p&o cruise. We are going on Arvia 2024 . Our first cruise.
Hi Karen, unfortunately the WiFi on P&O is the opposite of free. It’s actually one of the more expensive packages at sea compared to say Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity or Virgin. They have three main packages connect, browse and works, which are £7.75, £12.50 and £24.95 per day but if you book it in advance via the app you get 20% off. But still expensive. There is a good chance however the Packages will change (hopefully for the better) before you sail in 2024 though. Hope this helps. Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thankyou . Love watching your videos .
Wifi on Iona is said to be very slow. Best tip is to use free wifi in ports. You will often see crew members in the terminal building because they have to pay to use it on ships.
All the Carnival companies (P & O included) drinks packages are atrocious and a rip off, given the limitations. Spot on review and I’ll stick to MSC thanks - it may be derided by some but the Yacht Club is just fantastic and craps all over anything the Carnival group has to offer.
We are due to go on the MSC World Europa in Yacht Club early next year Andrew, so will be really interesting to compare and contrast. Thanks for taking time to watch our review and for taking further time to comment as well. Have a lovely day, Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured I will definitely be watching that!
If you didn't have the drinks package on this trip. What would your bar bill have been? Cheers Mark
Such a great question Mark, especially given we are on our second P&O cruise right now, 14 nights on Iona. And today is exactly a week since we got on. And this time we didn't take the package so we can give you a direct comparison. We've not held back either because we didn't have the package as you might have seen if you follow our Instagram stories 😂
So in the first 7 nights we have spent £460 on drinks, this includes all alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks as well as a few coffees (probably the only thing we've had less of not having the package)
This works out at £230 each or £32.85 a day compared to £39.99 a day on the package. So far.
We are going to do a direct comparison video in the near future after the full cruise but hope this helps in the meantime. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured Thank you so much for taking time out of your trip to reply. That's very interesting your bar bill has been less than the package price. I look forward to your next video.
I just found your videos this week and they are an interesting watch. We are just planning our very first cruise now.
Thanks again.
Mark
@@marks6721 you are very welcome Mark, and if you've any questions to help with the first cruise feel free to ask. Linzi and Mark
I tried drinking 15 alcoholic drinks per day and I don't remember doing it. When I woke up I was in hospital with a nasty taste in my mouth and the mother of all headaches. My advice ? Stick to tap water, it's free.
crikey o really....... I love drinks packages, like your good selves, as you can go away, knowing what you've spent and no surprises, as well as being care free, and not having to think about anything....the opposite of what P&O seem to be offering. :-(. in a dilemma
It is a tough one Terry, we did think long and hard if we felt we could recommend the drinks package at all (even with caveats) , because as you know, for all the same reasons you put above, we love a drinks package. This one we simply felt didn't work and was just not customer or pocket friendly at all and there was no way we could recommend it, which was so disappointing. We do know that when we go on our next P&O cruise, unless it changes, we absolutely wouldn't be buying it. Let us know what you decide when you go on, and if you do get it, how did it work out. Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured OMG...how right you were ! The "ultimate" drinks package was the worst we have ever experienced. We did I think break more or less even - however, only because we forced ourselves to drink what we didnt always particularly fancy, but because that the only thing we could have! And with costa even - you can only have a single shot of coffee in your cappuccino etc...you could have a free slice of cake with it - but oh no, not an extra shot lol.
Absolutely will not buy the package again, and no doubt will save a small fortune by not doing so. I did find one cocktail I liked that I was " allowed" to have with the package - Pink Fizz I think it was called. pink gin, Prosecco and lemonade.
the drinks package was the biggest ely down of the whole cruise for us - but, you live and learn, right :-) x
I have done 2 P&O Cruises this year (IONA and Britannia), I agree it's definately NOT worth it!
£80 per couple is a lot of money (must both have it!), especially when drinks prices are quite reasonably priced! Pints are £4.70 - £5.50, a double gin is £6.95, they also have cocktails starting at around £6.95. Prices in most major UK cities are higher!
Also they allow you to take on 1 litre of spirits each, which saves you money too.
I did buy a wine package for £245, which got me 12 bottles of wine from a selected list. However next time I would just get the 6 bottle deal, as some nights I wasn't in the mood for wine, but had to have one, as I pre-paid.
Hi Darren, thanks for you comment. Having just come off Iona last weekend, and we didn't take the drinks package (compared to Ventura), it was very interesting to see the end results. In fact we have a video coming up in a couple of weeks, P&O Drinks Package vs Pay As You Go, we suspect you will agree with our findings :)
We took a litre of spirit and a bottle of wine this time too, and it was great to have that in the cabin for pre-dinner drinks. We looked at the wine package and nearly went for it too, but as we were doing out little comparison experiment, we decide against it this time.
Thanks again for the comment and for watching our video of course. Have a lovely day, Linzi & Mark
Wow, that's very disappointing. We are looking for a cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary, if we do go we absolutely won't be buying that package.
Thanks for Commenting David. Don't let the drinks package put you off an otherwise fantastic ship, just don't get the package if you feel it's not right for you. We will absolutely be going on P&O Cruises again in the future, we'd just pass on the package, unless it get a refresh to make it better value for us personally. Linzi & Mark
@@SuiteNatured We have decided on Princess - the drinks package is way better. For less than p and o you also get unlimited wi fi and the tips so it is much better value. We have been on 5 other cruises with p and o and quite like them but their pricing structure in general now feels like a bit of a rip off - particularly given that the package only includes drinks up to 6.95 when nearly all the drinks are more than that. They have become more like Royal Caribbean with the constant sell sell sell.
@@davidpowell3691 We think Princess (Plus in particular) is the best value in cruising right now. Incredible, Premium Drinks, WiFi & Gratuities, for far less than most other cruise lines charge for teh drinks alone. And more importantly the drinks package works. We don't disagree at all with your comments on the drink package on P&O as it is what we said ourselves, it really does need a complete redo. Which Princess ship have you booked? Whichever it is you'll love it we are sure. We are just looking at Enchanted and Sky ourselves at the moment. Linzi & Mark
Ad give P&O a swerve after watching this. £40 a day and be restricted. No thanks. The way they treated their staff is still fresh in my mind. Boycott P&O. How can they call it Unlimited if everything is restricted.
We've just joined our 2nd P&O cruise today (Iona) and we can confirm we've not taken the drinks package. We are just paying as we go.
First time we've not had a drinks package on a cruise in a long time so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up. If we had bought this package on this 14 night cruise it would have been nearly £1200 for the two of us, and it simply is not good enough value for that when so many of our drinks are not included.
Thanks for watching and taking time to comment. Linzi and Mark
Worst drinks package we’ve seen at sea, didn’t bother on Iona
It is such a shame that they haven't reimagined this package yet. Hopefully they will sooner or later as we are like you, there is no way we would purchase on another P&O cruise in its current format. Linzi & Mark
Sounds dreadful value. Why should people be treated like that when they're on holiday? Sounds like they don't want people to enjoy themselves, while anyone on the package is feeling pressured to hit their daily "target". I've been on genuine AI cruises where they have top-ups for premium drinks, and the atmosphere is transformed- very few drink to excess.
It really does need an overhaul Paul.
We completely agree on the drinking to excess excuse. We've been on plenty of cruises where there wasn't the same restrictions in place, and you VERY rarely see people drinking to excess, just enjoying themselves, which surely is the point of the holiday. And how is ordered a bottle of water, and a wine at the same time excessive, especially at meal time, the gap between drinks in that sense is pointless.
We really have no issue at all paying the difference between an package allowance, and the premium drink, but to charge you the full amount less 20% (when you've already paid the package value) is nickel and diming you, and they are quite simply charging you for most of the premium drink twice, if you take off the £6.95 allowance. On a £10 drink, you'd get a 20% discount taking it to £8 (So £2 off), but you've already paid £6.95 as part of the package, means £4.95 you are paying twice. It is just not a good package at all, and we really do hope they change it soon, but we have low expectations they will, as a high majority of guests still take it, so until this drops we doubt they will, but we remain hopeful.
Have a lovely day Paul, Linzi & Mark
Ridiculous rules another reason not to cruise with P &O again.After 68 cruises 39 with P&O now not my cruise line of choice.Far too complicated and nonsensical rules
It is so frustrating Alan as a lot of stuff they do well on P&O (except the WiFi packages too) so hopefully they will look at the packages again soon. Linzi & Mark
Too much over-talking & interruptions which I found off putting though I was really interested but was too annoyed to finish watching
Sorry we weren’t your cup of tea Norman. We have got a bit better since this video (and still in our first year), but us talking like that is how we are in real life too! It’s not scripted or audibly edited, it is just to the two of us discussing our thoughts and experiences and whilst we try not to talk over each other, occasionally something springs to mind and we do. Thanks for taking time to try our little channel even if it wasn’t your thing. Linzi and Mark
@@SuiteNatured I for one, appreciate your video and information. Thank you 🙂👍
@@jimmybootsx Thank you Ian, and we for two, really appreciate your comment, it made us start our Friday morning with a smile :) Linzi & Mark
annoying interruptions - lost information
Sorry we weren’t your thing. Our style Is live, unscripted commentary of the two of us chatting. We have got better since this earlier video but given we’ve been together over 35 years, the interruptions are never likely to vanish completely. Thanks for checking out of content though. Linzi and Mark