Hi All,
Heading on this cruise early May.
Silver Spirits package is $350 pp so is $700 for us.
Cruise has beer and wine with lunch and dinner, but otherwise pay as you go. Viking rep says hard liquor drinks $12-18 each ... seems high. Rep also said one would need to pay for espresso and lattes during non lunch/dinner hours.
This price per drink seems pretty high ... can anyone comment on the veracity of what the rep told us? Further comment on your experience with best "solution?"
Forget the hard liquor drinks and save yourself a wad of money.
We have taken several Viking cruises and have not purchased the Silver Spirits package. We are not that particular with wine and beer and are satisfied with the included choices. We have not paid that much for cocktails, I would say under $10. Maybe certain whiskeys are more??? The website does have a sample bar/drink menu with prices that will give you some idea. For us we would have to be each drinking 3+ cocktails every single day for it to benefit. We’re simply off the boat too much for that. That said, it’s so very individual, that doing the math and considering what excursions and days at sea you have is helpful/necessary. I will also add, we don’t drink soft drinks or specialty coffees. Bon Voyage!
Pretty sure you'll get a lot more responses from recent Viking Ocean cruisers if you post on the Viking Ocean forum on Cruise Critic: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/689-viking-ocean/
How does the booze package work out pp/pd? How many drinks and espresso based coffee do you average per day? Once you find out the prices for the drinks you will likely be ordering , it should be easy to figure out the value of the booze package. If you can't find beverage menus on the cruise line website, someone on the Cruise Critic forum will likely have a link to one.
We haven't sailed on Viking, but have been on several other lines. Alcoholic drinks are cheaper if you order from the well options. But once you start ordering premium labels, the prices can rise substantially. Regular hard alcohol drinks might be $9-12 (depending on the cruiseline). Premium drinks will be higher. And there will be some fine liquors that are higher still. For instance, DH likes a nice single malt scotch before bed. His preferred drink was over $30.
My friends who drink a lot buy the drink package to save money. I haven’t been on a cruise so no personal experience. You’ll have to do the math to decide what’s best for you.
No experience, but in some research on river cruises, it was pointed out several times that river cruises differ from regular cruises, in that much less time is just spent "cruising", and the amount of time that the bar may be open and available for a drink, much less.
I have been on the Viking Homelands cruise (2018) when St. Pete was still on the itinerary. Great itinerary. We do opt for the SS package. It not only includes alcohol, but also soft drinks. For instance, if I want a Coke or tonic and lime, wine or beer at say 3 or 4 PM or a pre or post dinner cocktail it will not cost extra. I like the trying the different wines other than the daily red and white. I like not having to worry about the final cost. It's not for everyone. It works for us as I like my diet Coke and good wines. The bar on the lower level also makes morning green juices and cappucino. I don't know if this would cost extra without SS pkg.
Hi George, I think the prices the agent quoted were a bit high. People sometimes post bar menus on the Viking Forum on Cruise Critic. We got the SS package for free on our first cruise (we’ve done 8) and it was fun to order from the wine list. We’re not big drinkers so we didn’t buy it for subsequent trips. You’ll get included beer, wine, and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are available free 24/7. No extra charge for cappuccinos and lattes (anything without alcohol). Depending on your cabin class (we book DV), your in-room refrigerator will be re-stocked with soft drinks every day. Higher cabins are also re-stocked daily with wine and spirits. I think you’d need to order about 3-4 drinks a day outside of what’s included to make it worth your while, YMMV. Viking also allows/encourages passengers to purchase local wines and spirits. There’s no corkage fee to enjoy them once back on board. We love Viking. Happy to answer any questions, just PM me.
